In Between Series 11 - Skating a Path to Trust
by NeedtoKnow
Summary: Continuation of a Series of stories that fit "In Between" episodes that were aired so that things can be better explained/explored. This story is set in between "Remembrance of Things Past." & "Lost and Found." Amanda finds herself way over her head when she tries to help save a young woman from a crazy Russian Diplomat. Can Lee save all of them in time? COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1 - Mount Rushmore

**Disclaimer - "Scarecrow and Mrs. King" are copyrighted to Warner Brothers and Shoot the Moon Productions. This story is for entertainment only. I will not make any money off it but do hope that at least some people will enjoy it. The Characters are not mine; I only took them out to play with them for a while so they could help me tell the story. All the credit goes to Bruce and Kate and their wonderful supporting staff for portraying these wonderful characters so well that so many of us still love them so much today. The additional characters and this story are mine.**

 **A/N #1 – For those who are familiar with my In Between Series, you know that I accomplish two things with them. First, I try to fill in all the holes that were missing from the aired version. Then Amanda and Lee help me tell what happened in between the aired episodes. Since I meld them into the series like they really were aired (because we know that Amanda and Lee are real so the stories really do exist), I will be using references from them in future stories. I think that it might be difficult for you to understand some of the characters if you are not reading my past stories as I am going to begin using some of the past into my current stories. Since I don't want to bore my readers who do read my stories, I will not be explaining that history so hopefully you will read my past stories so you understand. Thanks again for all your support.**

 **Chapter 1 - Mt. Rushmore**

Lee let himself out of Amanda's back yard and headed for his car. As he drove away from her block, he could hear the car do a weird loud grinding noise.

"Oh come on!" Lee exclaimed as he slammed the steering wheel. "You know car, it is good that I love you because you seem to always be needy with having things go wrong. I guess I should be thankful that you made it to NH and back though. Okay, fine, I guess Leatherneck will have to take a look at you and see what your problem is now."

Lee drove to the agency and stopped at the underground garage where Leatherneck could be found at certain times during the day. Luckily he was there and Lee parked the Porsche and walked over to where he was sitting at a desk in the corner while listening to music from a walkman.

Leatherneck was really enjoying the song and didn't notice Lee until it was over. He suddenly looked up and saw Lee was standing in front of him.

"Lee! I heard you made it back and that you saved the lovely Mrs. King from freezing to death. So what brings you down here?" As Leatherneck looked at Lee's face; it became clear why he was there again. "Is that car acting up on you again Lee?"

Lee immediately became defensive and said "Well it did just drive all the way to NH and back. That's a lot on a classic car like the Porsche."

Leatherneck began laughing and said "Okay okay, we'll use that excuse. I'll take a look at it and see if I can figure out what is wrong. I don't have a car for you right now though. If I can't fix yours today, I'm sure I can round you up something for tomorrow. Can you get by today without a car?"

"Yeah, I guess so. Fine, fine Leatherneck, just see what you can do about fixing the car. And be gentle with her okay?"

"So you don't want me to spank her for leaving you without wheels again?" Leatherneck asked as he began laughing again. Lee shook his head as he walked away and headed for the Georgetown entrance to the agency.

He let himself into the front door and then said out loud "Hi Mrs. Marsten. I'm back. I hope you didn't miss me too much." As he got into the elevator, Mrs. Marsten's voice was heard from the speaker in the elevator "It is nice to have you back Mr. Stetson. I heard you saved Mrs. King. Good job. I guess that means she will be showing up back at work soon?"

"Oh yeah, she should be here tomorrow. Everything will be able to turn to normal now.

"That is great news. Well enjoy the rest of your day." Mrs. Marsten said as she shut down the conversation. Lee nodded and pushed the button to go down to the bullpen.

As he left the elevator, Francine came flying out of nowhere and gave him a huge hug and then immediately let go and looked around to see if anyone had seen her do it.

"Francine, I'm fine. It was Amanda who almost died."

"I know, I know but I was still worried about you too. Lee, we have more trouble though. Follow me to Billy's office so we can tell you what has been happening since you have been gone."

"OH, more trouble? This agency sure seems to have its hands full of trouble lately."

"It's not just this agency this time Lee." Francine said as they approached Billy's office. She knocked on the door and Billy yelled "Come in" but then got up to meet them when he saw who it was.

"So nice to have you back Lee. I trust Mrs. King is okay?"

"Yes and eager to return to work. I think she will probably come in for a few hours to do some typing tomorrow."

"That's fine. Lee we have had some trouble while you were gone. I didn't want to burden you with it but now that you are back, you need to know."

"Know what Billy?"

"Well while you have been gone, there have been a steady stream of agents being killed. They are from all over the world, not just our agents. So far at least 20 have been identified to being linked to whoever this serial killer is."

"How do they know the same person is killing them?"

"Well the victim always gets a note first. It's usually a simple warning that doesn't say they will be killed but instead that they are being watched. Then usually within hours the agent is found with knife wounds dead somewhere."

Francine continued "We have been trying to figure out who would be doing this but since none of the agents seem to have any connection to each other, we can't determine why it is being done. We have run numerous scenarios through Crypto but so far we haven't come up with any leads. Until recently, none of the agents were letting their superiors know about receiving the warning notes. Most of the time we don't know there is a problem until it is nearly too late and we have been unsuccessful with getting protection for them before the murderer strikes."

"So no connections on age, nationality, knew each other somehow prior to becoming an operative? Nothing?" Lee asked

"Not at the moment. We are still working on what connections they all might have. Right now, it is still a huge mystery. They are all agents. That seems to be the only real connection." Francine answered.

"So Lee, now that you are back; please be careful and report anything suspicious right away. Do you understand?"

"Of course Billy. I'll start looking into the murders tomorrow to see if I can see anything that others have missed."

"That sounds like a great idea." Billy responded. "Now get out of here. I'll see you tomorrow."

Lee smiled at Billy's pretend gruffness and headed to the elevator. He needed to go grab a bite to eat before Amanda showed up. He walked down to the corner cafe and ordered a burger. He sighed when he saw that Shari was working. Maybe he should stop dating for awhile. It seemed like all his dates lately had been messes. Shari was one of those. She had seemed normal at first and they had had fun at the night clubs on 2 different dates. On the third date, she insisted on going back to his place. When they arrived, she pulled a suitcase out of her car and began to follow him.

Seeing a suitcase made Lee nervous because it gave the impression that she intended to move in. "What's with the suitcase?" he asked as he brought her through the lobby.

"Oh nothing, it is just full of my toys."

"Toys? What kind of toys?"

"Oh nothing special, just some belts, whips, handcuffs and blindfolds."

Lee had made a 360 degree turn while grabbing Shari by the shoulder and guiding her back outside.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" She demanded. "Lee, take your hands off me please."

"You know, I changed my mind. I'm weird like that; I change my mind at times. I'm sorry I wasted your time Shari. This is really not my life style."

"Don't tell me that you are a normal guy Lee?"

"No, not normal but more normal than that I'm afraid. Goodbye Shari."

He hadn't seen her since and had forgotten that she still worked at the cafe. While he was eating his burger, she came up to him and ran her fingers down his face. "Are you still playing a normal guy Lee?" She asked.

"Yeah."

"That's too bad. You and I could have had a lot of fun together. Well if you ever get bored with that life; come look me up" She ran her fingers down his shirt and started to go lower but Lee pulled her hand away and said "I'll be sure to do that Shari."

Lee finished his burger and then threw down some money for the bill and headed out. He walked back to the agency just as Amanda was pulling in so he hopped into her car and directed her where to park. They were lucky that there was a parking spot right in the back of Monk's. Lee guided Amanda into the place and helped her sit down at a table near the back. A barmaid came over and said "What are you drinking tonight Lee? The usual?"

"Yeah and Amanda what do you want?"

"I think I'll have a Mai Tai" she answered "Something a little more like what a spy would drink."

Lee chuckled at her comment.

The barmaid smiled and then headed off to get their drinks. She returned a few minutes later with them. Lee downed his in one gulp so Amanda took a big swig of hers too. It was too strong for her though and she began taking smaller sips.

Lee said "So now you've seen where we spend our spare time. Are you disappointed? Out of all the things you could have asked for, this was what you asked to see."

"I wish you wouldn't treat me like a tourist visiting Mt. Rushmore" Amanda responded. "I just wanted to see where you spent your Spare time when you aren't working, that's all. It isn't always easy to get you to share these types of things with me."

Lee looked pained as she responded. Okay, okay, maybe he didn't include her all the time but it wasn't like she was an agent either. He had to have a few secrets from her. Since they were there though, Lee continued to explain how the place served as a neutral grounds location where anyone who made a buck off the international power game was welcomed. At that moment a woman and man walked in and Amanda asked who they were. Lee explained that they were reporters and that sometimes agents used them to leak things to other governments. Marcia headed right for Lee and was happy to be the one who got to tell Lee about Jean Claude being murdered. She always liked to get under his skin.

After talking for a few minutes about past murders, Lee decided that Amanda had heard enough and said they had to go. He then made up an excuse that she needed to catch a plane. As he walked her back out to her car, he apologized for making them leave suddenly. He really hated reporters because they were always trying to stir things up. As he was talking, Amanda realized that she hadn't seen the Porsche.

"Lee? Where is your car?"

"Well you know after such a long trip, I thought it best if it went in for a tune-up."

"So you don't have any way home?"

"I'll take a cab."

"I can drop you off. It isn't a problem."

"Amanda, I'll take a cab. Anyway, here we are." Lee said as they reached Amanda's car. "Drive safely" he said as he began to open her driver's door.

As they were arguing about Amanda giving him a lift home, a man who appeared to be blind walked over with a pencil cup that held a note for Lee. Lee's expression didn't change much as he read it but Amanda had a feeling it wasn't good so she made him give it to her. She knew right away that this must be one of the warning notes that were being given to agents before they were killed. She insisted that Lee let her drive him home and he reluctantly agreed and even offered to drive.

He pulled up in front of his apartment building and Amanda watched him go inside. Once she saw the light go on in his apartment, she slid into the driver's seat and headed for Maplewood Drive. She knew Lee could take care of himself but it did worry her that he had received a note like the others. When she arrived home, she found that her family had already gone to bed so she made sure the kitchen was clean and then headed upstairs. She checked on the boys and found them both sound asleep. She went to her room, stripped down and took a shower. She came out in just her robe and sat down on her bed. This spy business was sure stressful. She didn't know if she could ever act unconcerned like all of the others did. This killer made it so that no agent was safe but they all seemed to act like it was no big deal. She could only hope they all kept each other safe and that of course meant mostly Lee.

 **TBC**


	2. Chapter 2 - Night of Death

**Chapter 2 - The Night of Death**

After he exited Amanda's car, Lee went upstairs to his apartment. He noticed that Amanda had waited for him to get inside safely so he turned on the lights for her benefit so she would know she could leave. Her mothering ways definitely got on his nerves now and then. He was an agent and agents were used to having their life in danger. If she was going to stay in this line of work, she needed to get used to that fact. Of course as a precaution, Lee turned on every light and lamp in his apartment to make sure that the killer would know that there might be witnesses if he tried anything.

Lee stripped down as he headed into the bathroom. He took a nice, relaxing shower and then put on his pajamas and robe and came out. He found that his adrenaline was pumped pretty high so he knew he wasn't going to sleep anytime soon. He grabbed that book that he still hadn't been able to finish and sat down to read.

There was suddenly a commotion outside his window so he got up to make sure that he wasn't getting company. It seemed to be just a cat fight so Lee started to turn off his desk lamp so he could head to bed when there was a knock at the door. Who in the world would be knocking on his door this late? Lee immediately grabbed his gun and made sure it was loaded as he walked over to the door. He didn't expect to see Floyd the doorman when he opened the door but he was sure relieved that he did. Floyd handed him a brightly wrapped box that had been delivered earlier. There wasn't even a shipping label on it with his name. Lee was immediately suspicious and carried it over to place it on a table. He didn't hear any ticking so he took that as a good sign but as he pulled the cover off the box, the thing jumped at him and Lee jumped with it. Inside there was a jack in the box with a note. Since Lee had placed a mirror above the table, he observed how nervous he looked and even more so when he read the note that asked him if he was "Getting nervous?" Things were getting out of hand quickly. He put the cover back onto the box and added the note to the other one so he could bring them to the agency to be analyzed.

Lee went to bed but he didn't have much luck getting any sleep.

The next morning Lee headed to see Leatherneck. He was hoping his car was ready but when he arrived, he found out that Leatherneck hadn't even had time to look at it yet. However as promised, Leatherneck let him borrow a car. He pulled it into the agency lot and then made his way to Billy's office so they could discuss these killings some more. Francine showed a slide of the agents that had been murdered but after the 4th agent was shown, Lee decided he had seen enough and turned on the lights. They tried to again figure out the connection and Lee joked that maybe the real connection was that all of the men had played "backgammon" with Francine. Of course he was just teasing Francine. The only real common thing among all of the dead agents was that they were all young, single and nice looking. Lee was determined not to let the whole thing get to him though and he walked back out to his desk so he could get some work done. As he began looking through some paperwork that he had asked for, he suddenly heard what sounded like a bomb ticking and he began frantically pulling his desk apart to find it. It turned out to be a Polaroid camera that had been set up to take his picture to scare him. However, Billy decided that this was too serious and demanded that Lee come with him so he could arrange for protection. Billy brought him to his office and then made calls to let the higher ups know that Lee was being targeted. It was quickly agreed that under no circumstances was Lee to be assigned any new cases and for now he would be grounded.

"Come on Billy. You know I get bored when I'm stuck in the office all the time."

"Well your choice is that or I can put you up in a safe house and then you will really be grounded."

"Okay, okay. What about Amanda though?"

"What about her?"

Should I tell her to stay away from the agency for a few days? If I'm grounded, there won't be much for her to do. I know she was looking forward to coming back to work though. In fact, she should be here shortly."

"Why don't you call Mrs. King and tell her not to come in today. We'll figure out about tomorrow." Billy said as Francine came through the doorway. "Oh don't bother if you were going to call Amanda. She called earlier and said that her Mother asked her to help get some last minute things for a trip they were taking so she wasn't going to be able to come in today."

"Well that's good news. I don't need her mothering me today." Lee said as Billy looked on smiling.

"Well let me treat you to an early dinner." Billy said. "Drive your car to the back of Monk's and meet me inside, okay?"

"Yeah, okay." Lee said.

"Lee, stay out of trouble along the way,"

"Yeah."

Lee headed out to the parking lot and got into the borrowed car and drove it to the back of Monk's. He then went inside where he found Billy waiting for him. The whole place seemed to be pretty quiet and Lee found little to talk to Billy about. They ate their meals mostly in silence and drank their beer and then Billy threw down some money and they headed out the back. Lee decided it was time to put his foot down about being babied. He was a great agent and he didn't need someone holding his hand the whole time. Billy would have none of it though and told Lee that he would be with protection from now on and that included at that moment. He ordered Lee to go meet Wilson at the agency so he could follow him home. After ribbing him about his car being in the shop, Billy headed out to the street to where his car was parked.

Meanwhile Lee got into the car and put the key into the ignition but the car wouldn't start. As he tried again, Lee noticed a movement in the back seat and immediately put his arms up to protect himself. The man had a knife and Lee managed to mostly deflect it but his shoulder did get hit in the process. Lee knew he needed to get out of the car if he was going to have any chance at all so he opened his door and got out but the man in the back slammed his door into Lee and caused him to fall to the ground. Lee began fighting for his life as the killer tried to stab him with his knife. The killer punched him in the face so that he could get a better shot at stabbing him. The punch made Lee loosen his grip on the knife and the killer brought the knife down to try to stab him. He was about to finish the job when a woman screamed and the killer panicked and ran.

"Help him! Please someone help him!" The woman yelled and Billy came running.

"What's going on?" Billy asked as he came onto the scene.

"Some man dressed all in black was attacking that man. He had a knife. Is he dead?" The woman asked while still sounding hysterical.

Billy ran up to Lee and saw that he was alive. He quickly took his jacket off and placed it on top of Lee's head and said "I'm sorry Ma'am, you should probably stay away. Unfortunately this young man is dead."

"Oh my God! Why would anyone murder someone like that?" She wailed.

"I'm not sure but can you call an ambulance?"

"Of course" She agreed and headed to a payphone.

Billy moved the jacket so Lee could see him. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, he just got my shoulder but thankfully my jacket stopped it from going too deep. It just hurts a little."

I think it best if the killer thinks he killed you, don't you?"

"I was thinking that same thing. How are we going to do this?"

"I'll have you brought to Parker General and they can announce your death there. We'll talk more once we are secure, okay?"

"Yeah."

The ambulance arrived shortly after and Lee's body was loaded into it. Billy told the ambulance personnel that this was a Government agent and that no one would be able to handle the body except the agency so they didn't even look at Lee. Billy asked if he could use the radio and he made a call to a doctor he knew at Parker General. As soon as the ambulance arrived, Lee's body was wheeled into a private room and left. Billy followed and the doctor soon arrived.

"Hi Cal, thanks for coming. This has to be kept completely secret, okay?"

"Sure Billy! You know you can trust me. Let's take a look at him." Cal jumped as Lee removed the jacket. "Oh dear God, you just scared the crap out of me. Billy you didn't tell me he was alive."

"Well I couldn't do that and keep it a secret, could I?"

"True. But you still could have warned me when I came into the room."

"Sorry Doc. He got my shoulder with the knife. It doesn't feel deep but it does hurt."

"Let's take a look. Yes, you are one very lucky man. Let me get that cleaned up and bandaged and then you will be good to go."

"Billy, I think this gives us the perfect chance for me to start trying to figure out who this man is. If we make him think that he killed me, he will move on to a new victim and I can start tracking him."

"I agree. That means we have to make it convincing though which includes keeping you in hiding and going all out on a funeral for you."

"Yeah, I hate deceiving everyone but there doesn't seem to be any way around that."

"Lee, you know we can't tell anyone that you are alive. Not Francine and not even Mrs. King."

"Come on Billy, we can't leave Amanda thinking I'm dead. She'll never forgive me for that."

"We have to. All of this has to look real or else the killer could get suspicious. We don't know for sure that Mrs. King could be convincing if she knew you were alive. No, we have to let her believe you are dead. I'm sorry Lee."

"Yeah, well not as sorry as I am. Billy, I just went days thinking she might be dead. I at least had hope though since we didn't have a body. If she is told that I was killed, she will have no hope. It would be cruel to leave her in that state." Lee said as he swiped his hand slowly through his hair and his face was full of anguish.

"Lee, are you sure there isn't something between you and her? You have known Francine a lot longer but yet you haven't said anything about how upset she will be about your death. Instead, you are worried about the feelings of someone you have only known for 3 months."

"Amanda is different Billy. She cares deeply about things and she is very sensitive. Francine has learned to be hard souled over the years. She's agency and she will understand. I'm not sure Amanda will."

"Trust me Lee. Once you explain it to her, she will understand."

"Yeah. Well where do I go in the meantime? I can't exactly stay at my apartment."

"No, I'll get you to a safe house in Maryland for the next 3 days. I need you to stay there though. There will be no sneaking back into DC, understand?"

"Yeah, it will give my shoulder a chance to mend a little. Where am I going to stay after the funeral though?"

Billy smiled and said "Well when you show Mrs. King that you are still alive, you can nicely ask her for a place to stay. Didn't I hear something about her family going away for the weekend? It'll work out perfectly."

"Yeah, if she doesn't kill me first." Lee said as he swiped his hand through his hair again.

 **TBC**


	3. Chapter 3 - Fighting Realty

**Chapter 3 - Fighting Realty**

Amanda had planned to go to the agency on Tuesday but her Mother at the last minute had asked for help in shopping for those last minute things for the trip to Williamsburg. It was easier to have Amanda's help since she could drive and Dotty wouldn't have to struggle with the shopping bags on the bus. They soon finished their task and went home to begin dinner. After dinner, Amanda helped the boys with their homework by quizzing their spelling words and making sure their math problems were done correctly and then sent them both up to bed. When Amanda had called the agency earlier, Francine rushed her off the phone and Amanda had wondered all day if another agent had been killed. She waited until her Mother went to bed and then tried to call Lee. She got the answering machine and blushed as she realized that he was likely with one of his young lady friends. She hung up without leaving a message and headed up to bed after checking to make sure the doors were locked.

The next morning Amanda overslept so when she got up she found that her Mother had already left to go play Bridge with her friends and the boys were already at school. She decided that she would make herself some breakfast, get dressed and then go to the agency for a few hours. As she was walking down the stairs, the phone began ringing. She hurried down and grabbed it before the person hung up "Hello?"

"Mrs. King, you sound all out of breathe; did I catch you at a bad time?"

"No Sir, just wanted to grab the phone before you hung up is all. Mr. Melrose, is something wrong?"

"Are you alone?"

"Yes Mr. Melrose, I'm all alone. Do you need me to go on some secret mission?" Amanda asked.

Billy suppressed his smile and kept his voice sad "No, no, nothing like that. I'm afraid I have bad news. I don't even know how to tell you so I'm just going to say it. Lee was killed last night."

"Lee...was...What?" Amanda asked as her body involuntary collapsed into one of the kitchen chairs. She hoped she heard Billy wrong. She had to have heard him wrong.

"I'm sorry Amanda. The killer was apparently the one who has been killing all the other agents. He was waiting for Lee in his car last night when he left Monk's. By the time I got back to him, he was dead."

"NO Billy, NO. It can't be true." Amanda said as she tried to hold back the tears.

"I know, it is hard to believe. I'm so sorry to be the one who had to tell you. The funeral will be on Friday. Will you be there?"

"Of course" Amanda said as the tears began to flow out of her eyes.

"Stay strong Amanda. I'll see you Friday. Let me know if you need anything in the meantime."

"Thanks Billy." As Amanda hung up the phone, she found herself going into a fetal position in the chair and she held her head in her arms as she openly wept. How could he be gone? He was so young and so full of life. He was so determined that nothing could happen to him. Billy had been right all along when he said that he needed her to make Lee take less chances but he hadn't always let her be there for him. She knew that he hadn't been safe after he got that warning note; she should have been there somehow. Maybe if she had gone into the office instead of going shopping with her Mother, he would be alive right now. It wouldn't have mattered though. Amanda knew that even Lee couldn't beat the odds forever. The killer had targeted Lee and he wouldn't have stopped until he got him. Why though? Why would anyone want to kill Lee? Deep down, she knew he was a good man and he had a good heart. She just couldn't imagine why anyone would want to kill him. Amanda cried for over an hour and then finally made herself get up and do some cleaning in the kitchen. She needed to stay busy.

What would happen with her at the agency now? She knew Billy had hired her to work with Lee; would she still have a job now? Did she even want to work there without Lee? Lee hadn't been crazy about working with her at first but after a couple of months, he seemed to be okay with her being there. He had saved her several times. Would anyone else do that? Would anyone have just driven to NH and spent all that time and energy trying to find her? If Lee had been killed before that, would she had froze to death in that car? Amanda involuntarily shuddered at the reminder of just how close she had come to dying up there. What was she going to do without him? When she first met him, she definitely had a huge crush on him. It was like a huge part of her fantasy world suddenly was handed to her. She had found herself involved with spies and her partner was the most handsome one around. And he was the best. Yes, Lee Stetson had been the best spy ever. And now he was gone. The tears started flowing again.

Amanda didn't accomplish much the rest of the morning and she knew her Mother would be home in the afternoon so she went to her room and took a shower and redid her makeup so that no one would notice the tear stains. She was determined that she would not let on to her family that anything was wrong.

The next 2 days passed painfully for Amanda. She tried hard to keep it a secret from her family that she was mourning the loss of a friend. She would have had to explain who this friend was and of course she couldn't do that so it was better for them to just think she was under the weather. She was so thankful that Dean was out in Memphis at a weather convention. She spent a lot of time in her room and told her Mother that she wasn't feeling well. She found herself thinking about all the past cases she had had with Lee and how no matter how dangerous they were, he had always managed to survive. It seemed so unreal that he was gone. Deep down she knew that they had made a good team. She was starting to finally get some training and was learning some of the ins and outs of the agency. She enjoyed working with him and she enjoyed making sure he was safe. But she had let him down. The one time it mattered the most, she wasn't there. Now he was dead. He would never be there again and there was just a huge hole in her heart. When her Dad had died, she had felt the same kind of pain. It wasn't quite the same but it seemed close. How was it possible that she cared about him so much when she only had known him for a few months? Maybe it was because she had spent more time with him lately than she did with her own family. It just wasn't fair that he was gone.

Friday finally arrived and Amanda pulled out a conservative black dress that was appropriate for a funeral and put on a tan trench coat and then hurried out to her car. Billy had a secretary call the day before to tell Amanda the Funeral arrangements so she knew that the graveside services were being held at 9am that morning. She drove herself to the cemetery and saw that Francine and Billy were already there. She didn't want to see them though for fear that she would break down more in front of them so she stood off to the side in hopes of being inconspicuous. A few people got up to say a few words about Lee but none talked very long. Amanda barely heard most of what was said and a lot of it was in languages she didn't recognize. Amanda kept looking around and wondering why so few had showed up for his funeral. She also noticed that he didn't seem to have any family there at all. Where was his family? He had mentioned an Uncle. Why wasn't the Uncle at least there. Did Lee have so little in his life that this was how he was to be remembered? Well Amanda King was sure going to remember him! He deserved to be remembered and not just be a stone on top of the ground. She glanced a few times at Billy and Francine and noticed that they were keeping their emotions to a minimum but Amanda couldn't stop crying. A nice man beside of her handed her a Kleenex.

After the ceremony was done, Francine put a bottle of wine on the casket and walked away while Billy walked over to Amanda to console her. Amanda cared about Billy a lot. He had such a kind heart and though he seemed to be at a loss on how to help Amanda, he told her to go home. She knew he meant that with time, the pain would be less and that she would go on with life just like people did every day when they lost someone they cared about. She wondered if her time at the agency was over since Lee was gone but Billy didn't seem to want to talk about that right now and Amanda decided she really didn't want to listen to what he might suggest anyway.

As she got into her car to drive home, she couldn't help but look over her shoulder to see if anyone was hiding in the back. She had been seen with Lee. Would the killer come after her? She couldn't help but be a little scared wondering about that. Lee had always protected her. She had never had a man protect her before and it had been a comfort knowing that he had always been there. How was she going to go on without him? She was going to miss so many things about him. His smile, his eyes as they twinkled when he teased her, his ego, his eccentric stories but mostly just his companionship. He had been a part of her life for such a short time yet she felt like he was closer to her than even Dean. They could never have been a couple because they had so little in common but she had enjoyed his friendship and getting to know him. She found herself sobbing heavily as she drove home. It just wasn't fair that he was gone. He had always been so brave and he helped create a world that made her brave too. In such a short period of time, Amanda knew that she had begun to change. She had always stayed inside her comfort zone and never dared to do anything that challenged that comfort and then she had met Lee.

Amanda arrived back at her home and parked the car in the driveway. She sat in the car for a little while trying to compose herself. She knew her Mother would soon question why she wasn't coming in so she finally managed to stop the tears and fix her makeup well enough to go inside.

As she entered through the front door, she called out "Mother? I'm home."

There wasn't any answer so Amanda walked into the kitchen and found a note on the counter from her Mother that said she had been asked to go for a walk with their neighbor Mr. Olsen and she would be back later. She planned to have lunch at his house. Amanda felt instant relief that she was home alone. She went upstairs and changed her clothes and then spent some time cleaning her room. Her eyes settled on the Panda Bear that was still sitting in the chair in the corner. She grabbed it and hugged it to herself. The bear had been special since her nickname unbeknownst to Lee was Panda. He had gotten it for Alexi, a boy they had to take care of during one of their cases but Alexi was too old for a stuffed animal and when he went home with his parents, he didn't want it. Amanda was shocked when she heard the doorbell ring that night and found the bear on her step. She looked around for Lee but only heard his car start up and saw his taillights as he drove away. She realized she never thanked him for the bear. She began crying into it as she hugged it tightly to her chest. Amanda knew after that night that Lee couldn't always express his feelings but he usually could show them in another way.

She sat down on her bed and continued to cry into the bear as she found herself rocking back in forth in an attempt to comfort herself. She could still smell Lee's scent on the bear or at least in her mind, she could. How could he be gone? It just wasn't fair. She had just started to get him to trust her and tell her some of his past. He had so much buried inside of him and so many walls up and she felt like she was finally breaking through some of them. It didn't matter anymore because Lee was gone. She would never see that smile again or those beautiful eyes. Before long, the bear was soaking wet and Amanda made herself get up, give it another big squeeze and then put it back in the chair where she got him from. She was glad she had him since it made everything seem more real. Otherwise, all the rest was just memories. They were mostly good memories and she would cherish them forever but she would have done anything just to have Lee be alive. She finished straightening her room and then went to the boys' room and spent the next few hours working on theirs. She couldn't bring herself to throw any of their treasures out during this cleaning but she at least cleaned up the floor and got rid of the cobwebs.

Her Mother got home just after 3pm and yelled up the stairs "Amanda, I'm home."

"I'll be right down Mother" Amanda answered.

The cleaning had helped tire her out so she was too tired to cry at this point. She went downstairs and helped her Mother make Sloppy Joes for dinner. The boys got home and ran into the kitchen.

Amanda pulled them into the living room and sat on the sofa with them and held them both tightly.

"Are you okay Mom?" Jamie asked.

"Yeah, I'm going to be okay. Are you excited about your trip?" Amanda asked.

For the next 20 minutes, they talked about the plans for the trip while Amanda held her two sons next to her. Dotty came out and announced that dinner was ready so everyone got up and went to the kitchen table. Amanda tried to act as normal as possible and it seemed to be working. After dinner, she stood at her kitchen sink and did the dishes while looking out into the backyard. She couldn't help but hope that she would suddenly see Lee sneaking up to her backdoor. She prayed that it all had just been a bad dream and she would hear a knock any second. The knock never came; there was no one sneaking around her backyard and Lee was dead. He was really dead and he would never be out there again. She could feel the tears threatening to come again so she quickly finished up and then yelled as she ran up the stairs that she was really tired and was heading to bed. Dotty was watching tv with the boys and they looked at each other and shrugged since none of them could figure out why she seemed out of sorts. Dotty decided that it was probably just that time of the month.

 **TBC**


	4. Chapter 4 - The Rebirth

**Chapter 4 - The Rebirth**

How do people sit around with nothing to do? It had to be the most boring life to just sit there all the time and watch tv. Yet that was what Lee was expected to do. He couldn't show himself because the killer might find out he was alive so he was stuck in this stupid house in Maryland with just a tv to keep him entertained. He couldn't even go out and have a nice dinner somewhere. Billy couldn't stay because it would be questioned where he was so he had left a guard outside who had strict orders not to go inside and was told that he was guarding a Political Prisoner.

On top of all of that, Lee couldn't help but keep thinking about Amanda. Was she upset that he was dead? He was sure she was. She held her heart on her sleeve most days and he knew that she wouldn't handle the death of anyone she knew well especially if she cared about the person. Wait? Did Amanda care about him? If she did, then well it was all her fault. He had told her not to get involved with the agency. He had even tried to tell her that you couldn't have friends in this line of work. Would she listen to him? Of course not! Now she was probably all upset and there wasn't anything he could do about it but if she had just listened to him, she would be fine right now. They would never have been involved in any cases after the first one and she would not even know what he was doing much less that he was considered dead right now. But oh no, Miss Housewife was determined to tag along and be a part of this whole spy business. She just didn't get that this was real life and that feelings don't matter. After all, if she had died in NH, he would have been okay. She wasn't the first partner he had lost. He would have been sad but he knew that eventually any of them could be killed in the line of duty. Wait did he just call Amanda his partner? Well that was just a phrase, it really mean anything.

As Lee continued to beat himself up in his mind, he suddenly remembered that Amanda wasn't doing anything for the agency when she went to NH and of course it was his fault that Sheila had tried to kill Amanda to begin with. Well it was still the point; she had connections to him and that was dangerous. If she was killed because of those connections, it wouldn't be fair. Besides it was also different circumstances if Amanda died suddenly. She was a civilian and she had a family which included 2 young sons and a lot of people would be heartbroken at the news of her death. No one would really miss Lee. He had no real family except his Uncle and the man barely talked to Lee. No, you just couldn't compare Amanda's death to his. Amanda had so much to live for and Lee was just Lee. Lee found himself hitting the wall again as his emotions continued. Why was he angry with Amanda? She didn't do anything wrong. Was it so bad that she might care that he was dead? In some ways it seemed comforting to know that someone would care but at the same time it was so upsetting knowing that he likely was causing her a lot of pain that just seemed so unnecessary. Billy had made the rules and at the moment, there was nothing Lee could do to change them.

The days went by slowly and when Friday hit, Lee really wanted to go to his own Funeral and see what people said about him but of course he had no way to get there. He had found himself thinking about Amanda many times over the past 3 days. He knew that what he was doing to her was cruel. She would be miserable thinking he was dead. He truly had worried that he wouldn't find her alive in NH and he remembered how torn up inside he was about it. Lee Stetson might play a tough guy but deep down he knew that Amanda's death would likely be his undoing. Now he was leaving her thinking he was dead. He didn't have a choice though, he couldn't tell her. If only Billy had come up to visit him, he would have demanded that they let Amanda in on the secret but Billy knew that Lee would be like a caged animal and had stayed away.

Lee slammed his fist against the wall and said "Damn it this isn't fair. I'm so sorry Amanda. I hope you will someday forgive me for hurting you this way." Deep down, he knew she would but it still killed him knowing how much he had hurt her the past few days. Billy had promised to pick him up early Saturday morning and drive him to Amanda's so that he could arrive just as the rest of the family was leaving. Saturday couldn't come fast enough. Lee wasn't sure if any 3 days had ever dragged by more slowly in all of his life. He also understood how people suddenly went mad. His thoughts were killing him and he couldn't stop them.

Finally it was Saturday. Lee was up at 5am, had his bag all packed, had taken a shower and was ready to go. Billy finally arrived at 8am. He told the agent he could go and after he was sure he was safely out of sight, Billy went in and got Lee. Lee couldn't walk fast enough out to the car and then had to wait for Billy to catch up. Billy couldn't help but smile as he got into the car. "In a hurry are you?" He asked.

"I'm bored. I want to catch this guy and I'm not doing any good being stuck in a safe house watching tv all day. Has there been any other murders?"

"No, thankfully no." Billy answered as he began driving.

"Any leads? Anything?"

"Nothing more than we already knew."

"Billy, how is Amanda doing?"

"She came to your funeral Lee. She was pretty upset. Lee, she is a very strong woman. I think if you were really dead, she would find a way to work through it. She cares about you Lee. It was very obvious."

Lee sighed and rode the rest of the way in silence. As Billy pulled up near Amanda's house, they could see that there was a car parked in the driveway and it already had bags lined up in the back.

"Do you want me to go in with you?" Billy asked.

"No, you know it is kinda funny cause in the beginning, I always told her that all the jobs that we asked her help on were your idea even if they were mine. I could probably easily say this was your idea so she wouldn't be so angry with me but I don't want to do that."

"It was my idea Lee. I ordered you not to tell her. You definitely can blame this on me."

"No, I have to own this one. If we are going to be partners, then she has to learn to forgive me and she needs to grow stronger from this situation. You know what I mean?"

"Yeah, I do. I don't envy you right now though."

Lee sighed and said "I don't either. If this all works out and she agrees to help, I'll make sure she keeps you informed on what is going on."

"Sounds good. Good luck Lee."

Lee watched as Phillip and Jamie came running outside and jumped into the backseat and then saw Dotty following slower behind them. Amanda didn't even come to the front door to see them off which Lee knew was unlike her. His heart felt heavy as he knew this was another sign of how badly she was likely taking the news of his death. They watched the car drive away and waited until it was out of sight.

Lee got out of the car and hurried to the back door. He found the door locked and smiled because he was finally convincing her to be more careful. He took out his lock pick and unlocked the door and then walked in. He quietly made his way to the family room but could hear Amanda talking. Did she have someone there? Was Dean there? He stood against the wall and then realized she was talking to herself out loud.

"The hardest part about this job is the feelings. Lee said not to get involved and he was right about that." Amanda said as she began to cry again.

Lee didn't hesitate; he stepped out and said "I didn't think I would live to hear you say that. Well actually I didn't live; not officially of course." It was the first thing he could think of to say in hopes of lightening things up a bit as he revealed that he was alive. He then waited for her reaction. He hoped she wouldn't be too angry with him but he never expected her to come bounding into his arms either. It pleased him more than he could ever imagine just how much it meant to him that she cared so much about him and was so happy to see that he was alive. It was short lived though as she suddenly realized that he had deceived her and she turned angry with him and pounded him on the back and pulled out of his embrace. He didn't know what to say to diffuse the situation so he stupidly stayed with the idea of keeping things light and asked if she was angry that he was alive. He then asked if it was a nice funeral; not too fancy? He realized right away how insensitive he had been when she said "I have been really upset about this. I thought I had lost a friend. And it hurts." She was still crying even though she knew he was alive now.

Lee found his heart being torn apart again as she talked through her tears. He had never known anyone who truly cared about him before so this was so difficult to deal with. He didn't have friends and this was probably why. How did people deal with this stuff? Lee didn't even notice that he rubbed his fingers near his hairline out of nervousness.

"And I was frightened too. And uh...look I know you don't like tears, I know they frighten you more than bullets so I'm sorry about this little scene but you brought it all on yourself because it would have been totally unnecessary if you hadn't been killed which you haven't been and I cared that you were dead and I don't care if you don't care that I cared."

Lee immediately responded by saying "I do care. Really. Thank you." He was surprised himself at how much it meant to him that she cared that much about him. Were they friends? He knew deep down inside that he considered Amanda a friend. They had been through a lot together and though he wasn't ready to acknowledge it, she was a friend. It meant a lot that she considered him one too.

He was pleased to see her smile for a second and say "You're welcome."

For a few seconds they stood looking at each other. Something had happened between them that made it impossible to go backwards. The days of him complaining about her tagging along could never be taken seriously now because their relationship had grown beyond that. He knew she would grow stronger from this and as much as it had hurt him to watch her grief, he was so proud of her.

Amanda broke the intensity in the room by asking if he wanted a sandwich. For once, Lee didn't mind that her mothering side had come out since he hadn't eaten well the past few days since he was so worried about her. They walked into the kitchen and as Amanda began preparing a Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich, Lee dropped the bombshell that he was going to investigate his own murder and needed her help. He decided that he needed to bring Billy into the conversation at this time though so she would know that they both had discussed it. It didn't take long for her to realize that he would need a place to stay and he couldn't help but chuckle as she told him to put his things in Guatemala.

He poured himself a glass of milk and Amanda finished making them both sandwiches and they sat at the kitchen table.

"Look Amanda, I know that it won't be easy living with me but it will just be a few days. Billy had me in a safe house in Maryland but I need to be nearby in order to figure this whole thing out. Come on, we have worked together before in close quarters. Can't we do it again?"

"Yeah, but never in my house. Okay, let's say I agree to this. I can't have you upstairs in the boys' room or Mother's room so you would have to stay on the couch."

Lee sighed and said "I understand. It would probably be best to be downstairs anyway just in case anyone should turn up."

"Do you think the killer will come after me because you know I thought about that after Billy told me that you were dead?"

"I don't think so Amanda, but you never know."

"Alright, so what happens now?"

"Now, we wait. How about if I give you some money and a list of food to pick up and I'll make dinner for us tonight as a thank you for letting me stay?"

Amanda thought about it for a second and then nodded her head and said "Okay, if that would make you feel better."

"Amanda, it isn't about feeling better. It will give me something to do. You do have a wok don't you?"

"Lee, of course I have a wok."

"Great, I would go myself but of course I can't. Do you have something I can write out a list on?"

"Sure" Amanda said as she got her shopping list paper and a pen.

Lee quickly made out his list and then pulled out his wallet and handed Amanda a wad of cash. Amanda couldn't believe he was giving her all of that for one meal. Her whole family could make several meals out of that much money but then she looked at the list and said "Squid? Really?"

"Yeah, I promise you will like it."

"Alright, well I better get going. I don't usually buy most of this stuff so it might take a bit to find it."

Amanda headed to the grocery store. As she checked over the list again, she couldn't help but laugh. It didn't really consist of much. He had listed squid, enoki mushrooms, an onion, some spices, rice and sake. Also he had asked her to pick up chopsticks. Amanda went inside and found everything except the mushrooms. She asked one of the floor personnel but he had no idea what an enoki mushroom was. In the end, she purchased some regular mushrooms.

She couldn't believe that it took almost all of Lee's money for these few items. It seemed like a waste but it was his money. As soon as she arrived back at the house, he asked for her wok.

"Oh Amanda, do you have something I can use as an Apron. I didn't bring much for clothing so I don't want to get food on these."

"Sure" Amanda said as she handed him a pink Apron. He looked at it with a funny look and then quickly put it on.

"You know Lee, you look good in pink. Maybe you should wear it more often." Amanda said with a smile.

"Amanda!" Lee said as he unpacked the bag of food. "Amanda, I wanted enoki mushrooms. These are just plain ones."

"I couldn't find enoki mushrooms and my grocery store didn't even know what they were."

"Oh damn, well I guess these will have to do then."

In no time, Lee had cooked the meal and Amanda set the table. Lee poured them both flasks of sake but Amanda decided that she should have a glass of milk instead. After taking off the apron, Lee sat down and served them both a serving of the meal. Amanda opted to eat with a fork while Lee used the chopsticks that she had bought. Lee was quite pleased with himself for cooking a nice meal for Amanda. It was a side of him that he didn't let many see and she seemed pleased with it.

After they finished eating, Lee told her that it was time for them to begin investigating. Unfortunately he didn't have anything appropriate to wear out in public that would hide his identity. He hadn't been able to get much clothing after his supposed death so he asked Amanda if she had anything he could borrow. He should have realized that she would be bringing out Dean's clothes. The man truly had no taste in clothing. Amanda had given him a pair blue jeans which fit fine but then she handed him a plaid coat and a hat that had ear flaps. Lee was sure that if Francine saw him now, he would no longer be called Scarecrow. His new codename would be Elmer Fudd.

 **TBC**


	5. Chapter 5 - No Chance of Being Normal

**Chapter 5 - No Chance of Being Normal**

It had been such a long, emotional day and it wasn't over. Now she had to drive Lee to The King Edward Apartment Hotel so they could check out Room #1204 where Jean Claude was killed. Amanda had been so upset when she had woke up that morning and then so relieved and thankful when Lee walked into her home and let her know he was alive. She was upset with him for not telling her and leaving her in so much pain but she knew that it was all part of being an operative and if she couldn't handle it then she better get out now. For now, he needed her help. He was dead to everyone else but her and Billy so she would have to help him investigate his own death. She hadn't been thrilled with the idea of him staying at her house but she knew it made sense for him to be there and she had agreed if he would stay on the couch. It would be too weird for him to be upstairs and down the hall from her. She was just so glad he was alive.

Then the biggest surprise of all was when she found out Lee could cook. She had never had squid in her life and wasn't sure she really cared much for it but the meal was interesting and even the rice seemed to have been cooked by someone who truly knew how to cook Japanese. She wondered if she would ever stop being shocked by the things she found out about him.

As she drove to the Hotel, she couldn't help but chuckle inside looking at him wearing Dean's beloved plaid coat and his silly hat that he had gotten to irritate his mother. It was a great disguise though and she barely recognized Lee herself. She went into the hotel first to see if there was anyone hanging around that she recognized and when she was sure the coast was clear, she waved him inside.

The desk clerk was a unique looking fellow and Amanda realized that she and Lee really should have talked about bribery rates before going inside since she had no idea what to offer and apparently offered way too much. She was much more concerned that it looked like she was there to have an affair with Lee though. They quickly started searching the room but Amanda wasn't sure what to look for and the place was so dirty that she hated to touch anything. Since she got lucky searching the bathroom before during the Betty Bodine case, she decided to start there again. She had to chuckle when she saw that there were books on a self over the toilet. Suddenly a man came out of the shower, shut the bathroom door and locked it and then attacked her. Amanda began yelling for help and Lee had to knock the bathroom door down in order to save her. The killer ran as soon as he realized Lee was there and Lee pointed out that the killer had tried to kill both of them now. Amanda noticed that Lee held both her hands affectionately as he made sure she was okay. Their relationship had definitely slipped into something a little more comfortable and Amanda couldn't help but feel relief that he seemed to care more lately. That of course was immediately replaced by the fear that she was now a target of this deranged killer.

They were suddenly interrupted by the hotel clerk and Lee made her get into bed with him. She went along with him when he pretended they were in fact having a one night stand but the whole thought was very upsetting. This was definitely not a reputation that Amanda King would ever have. In the end the clerk told them to clear out and Lee decided they wouldn't find anything else. Amanda had picked up a movie stub in the bathroom that hadn't been there before she was attacked and Lee had taken off the tv ratings box off the back of the TV.

Lee and Amanda made their way down to the lobby and Amanda gave the keys back to the clerk. "Look Pal, I think I should get my money back since you are kicking us out." Lee demanded.

Amanda glared at him. He was the one who said he didn't want to be seen and here he was making a scene so that others would look up.

The clerk ignored him and Amanda grabbed Lee's arm and said "Come on dear, we'll go find a nicer motel than this one." After they were outside, Amanda leaned against the building and said "That has to be one of the most embarrassing things I have ever done. Why did you make a scene and call attention to us?"

"Well if you had let me show him my gun, maybe I could have gotten my money back."

"And maybe you could have gotten us both arrested and then how would we explain who you were and why you were still alive after just being buried yesterday and just how would you find the killer if you were in jail?"

Lee sighed and shook his head because he knew Amanda was right.

"Let's go." He said as he placed his hand on her back to guide her to her car. Lee wanted to drive so Amanda let him and soon he pulled into Amanda's driveway. They had kept quiet the whole drive as both of them relived the last few hours. Lee hated to admit it but Amanda had done well in the hotel room. She definitely had a level of bravery that not every woman was gifted with.

As they entered the house, Lee made sure that all the doors were locked and the windows too.

"I'm going to send you to the agency tomorrow so you can give that box to Billy and give him the list of items we found in the room. Billy should be able to get a listing of what was watched on the tv. Also, I think that we are going to have to check out what is playing at the drive in tomorrow night. Maybe it will give us an idea of what the killer was after."

"Alright. Lee, do you think we can go to bed now. I'm really tired." Amanda said and then saw the slight smile on Lee's face.

She hurriedly said "Of course I will go upstairs to my bedroom and you will sleep on the couch like we discussed, right?"

"Oh absolutely!" Lee said as he laughed at her squirming.

"Good, let me get your some blankets and pillows. Why don't you go upstairs and use the bathroom while I do that?"

"Yeah, sounds good." Lee went upstairs and as he was starting to come back down the stairs, he wondered which bedroom was Amanda's. He quickly pushed the thought aside and made his way down the stairs.

Amanda had just finished making up the couch and leaving extra blankets and pillows for him when he entered the familyroom. It seemed to be an awkward moment between them so Lee sat down and began writing notes for Billy as she headed up the stairs and said "Good night Lee" Lee said "Good Night Amanda" without looking up.

After he knew she couldn't see him, Lee couldn't help but look at the staircase and watch her back as she continued up the stairs. He still wasn't sure he had ever met anyone as perplexing as Amanda. On one hand, she was a simple housekeeper but on the other hand, she really seemed to enjoy this spy business and he was starting to see where she had some real natural instincts for it. He made himself focus back on his notes and then took his shirt off and stripped to his boxers before he climbed into the make shift bed that Amanda had made for him on the couch. He couldn't seem to shut his mind off so it took a little bit for him to fall asleep but he finally did.

The next thing he knew it was morning and Amanda was cooking breakfast.

"Do you want pancakes or waffles dear?" She asked.

"What? Lee asked as he slowly got off the couch.

"Pancakes or waffles. I can make either of them quickly"

"I'll pass." Lee said as he watched her float around the kitchen. As she walked by him, she ruffled his hair and rubbed her hand over his cheek "Someone needs a shave" she said.

"Amanda? What's gotten into you?"

"What do you mean? OH, I didn't give you your good morning kiss did I?" Amanda asked as she leaned over and gave him a peck on the lips.

What the heck was going on? Lee was just about to ask Amanda another question when he suddenly heard a very loud annoying sound. Was that a fire alarm going off? Damn it, the house was on fire Lee thought as he tried to determine where the sound was coming from. Suddenly he sat straight up and realized he had been dreaming and that the alarm that Amanda had set for him near the couch was going off. He reached over and hit the snooze button and saw that it said 6am. He was still a little shaken from the dream he had just had but he shut off the alarm and decided it was time to get up.

After wiping the sleep from his eyes, Lee went upstairs to use the bathroom. It didn't dawn on him to bring his clothes up to the bathroom with him. He quickly took a shower and then wrapped a towel around his waist so he could walk down the stairs. As he came out of the bathroom, he smacked right into Amanda who was coming out of her room. It took him by surprise and he lost his hold on the towel so it fell to the floor leaving him in just his boxers.

"Oh My Gosh, I didn't know you were up here." Amanda said as she tried to disentangle herself from Lee's body.

"I'm sorry Amanda; I thought you were still sleeping." Lee said as he gently pushed Amanda out of his arms and then quickly reached for the towel to wrap it back around himself. "I'm going to go downstairs and get dressed." He continued while talking fast. Lee quickly bolted for the stairs and put the shirt and pants on that Billy had managed to get for him. The shirt was not his usual style but at least it wasn't plaid.

Amanda tried to divert her eyes as he ran down the stairs. She quickly went into the bathroom so she could shower and get ready for the day. By the time her shower was done, she was over being embarrassed.

She made her way downstairs and they both acted like nothing had even happened.

"Would you like some breakfast?" Amanda asked.

"No, I'm not much of a breakfast person but I would love some coffee."

Amanda made a pot of coffee and poured them both a cup. She then poured herself a bowl of cereal, added some milk and began eating.

After a few spoonfuls, Amanda asked "So Mr. Melrose is okay with me coming to the agency instead of meeting at some secluded place?"

"He would prefer it. His office is checked for bugs daily so it will be secure. Here, I made you a list of the things we found at the hotel. Also don't forget to take the box and ask Billy to get them to find out what was watched on the night of the murder."

"Okay, will do." Amanda said as she finished her cereal. She rinsed the bowl out in the sink and then added it to the dishwasher which still had the dishes from the night before in it. She would deal with it later. She picked up the list and the box and headed outside to her car.

She arrived at the agency and Billy sent a security officer up to escort her to his office. They went over the list while the Nielson's people examined the tv box. As Amanda listened to Billy, she realized that it was a crazy place that she was involved in. As Billy was getting ready to walk her down to check on the tv box, Francine showed up outside of his office. She made a big point of questioning why Amanda was there and told her that she sympathized with her since her career plans had been destroyed. Amanda looked up shocked that Francine would put a career over the loss of Lee but then realized that Francine only cared about her career. Billy managed to get her away from the situation though and they stopped by an office where he was handed a report for her to take back to Lee. He then escorted her back up to the Georgetown foyer and wished her good luck as she exited the building.

Amanda headed home and found Lee pacing when she got there.

"You okay?" She asked.

"Yeah, just bored. What did Billy say?"

"Oh, he gave me the reports. I left them in the car though. He told me to tell you that so far they haven't come up with anything on the agent that was killed at the agency but they are checking all the personnel files and hopefully will have something soon."

"Great, hopefully they'll find something in them."

"Lee, I'm going to make some sandwiches for lunch, are you hungry?"

"Sure, sounds good."

Amanda made tuna sandwiches for them both and they sat in the family room and watched a dinosaur movie on tv while they waited for it to be late enough to go to the drive in movie theater. Since it was January, it got dark early so when the dinosaur movie ended, they headed out. Lee drove them to the theater and used Dean's clothes to once again disguise himself. They found a spot near the front that was close to the projector room. Lee gave Amanda some money so she could go get them popcorn and sodas. She purchased a large tub that they could both share and then walked down to the projector room. Lee had instructed her to take a look around to see if she saw anything out of place. Amanda wasn't entirely sure what she was looking for but there didn't seem to be anything unusual so she headed back to the car. She put the popcorn down between them and handed Lee his soda. They sat in silence while they ate the popcorn and sipped on their sodas and waited for the movie to begin.

The previews finally began and Lee found himself watching them but also stealing glances at Amanda. He couldn't help but wonder if her ex-husband or even Dean had ever taken her to a drive in movie. Lee had taken some of his dates but he didn't honestly remember anything about any of those movies. No, Amanda didn't seem the type to do something crazy at a drive in. It was just another thing that made them so different.

The movie started and he tried to concentrate on each scene while wondering if there was some hidden clue in it. The movie was awful though and he found himself looking at Amanda to see if she was enjoying it. At one point she saw him look at her and she smiled. He smiled back and then pretended to be completely engrossed in the movie. It was really bad though. He was so relieved when it finally ended and they started back to Maplewood Drive. After Lee parked the car, he grabbed the folder that contained the reports of what was played on TV in Jean Claude's room and they went inside. Lee could hardly believe it when he found out that Buzz Blade was on the TV after the time of death. What did it all mean? Lee realized that they hadn't eaten anything but popcorn and suggested they go out to eat. Amanda reminded him he was supposed to be dead and rather than going out all the time, he should try out living a normal life for a change. If she was going to convert him into eating normal food like hamburgers then he would teach her the fine art of adding wine to your meal. It would be a learning experience for both of them. That was when he noticed the suitcases. What rotten luck to have Dotty and the boys return before they were done. As he sat outside in the rain talking to Billy, he realized his only choice was to move into the garage. Billy told him about the Personnel Officer. Lee asked him to find this woman. He needed to find out what why things were missing in some of the files and see if she knew anything about Buzz Blade. After Billy promised to call in the morning, Lee hung up and handed the phone back to Amanda through the window.

In the meantime, Amanda had shoved all of Lee's things into his bag and walked out back. She handed the bag to Lee and led him to the garage.

"I'm sorry Lee; the best I can do is a sleeping bag. Thankfully I don't think Mother noticed your bag."

"Yeah, well hopefully this case will be over soon so I can go back to my apartment. Look, Billy is trying to find a Personnel director who used to be at the agency. He should call in the morning with any leads he comes up with. When Billy calls, can you take down the information and then maybe you could drop me off where ever she is so I can talk to her while you go to my apartment and pick up some things for me. Here is my list and the keys to my apartment."

"That should be fine. Okay, well I better get back before Mother wonders where I am. Will you be okay out here?"

"Yeah, Sure." Lee said.

"I'm sorry Lee."

"Yeah, it isn't your fault. Don't worry about it." Lee said as he squeezed her hand to show her he wasn't upset.

Amanda smiled and walked out the garage door.

After she was gone, Lee surveyed the garage and couldn't believe that he was going to have to lie in a sleeping bag in Amanda's garage. Well he had definitely slept in worse places in the past. He chuckled out loud and then crawled into the bag and curled up and soon was fast asleep.

 **TBC**


	6. Chapter 6 - Nothing Normal Here

**Chapter 6 - Nothing Normal Here**

Amanda felt awful about leaving Lee in the garage but with her Mother home, she didn't have any other choice. They had been doing well up until then. It was fun going to the movies with Lee even if it was the worse movie she had ever seen. She couldn't help but fantasize a little about what it would be like to have been his date and had him make out with her during the movie. It would have helped liven the time up a little.

Then they had come back to her house and he had talked about all the things he missed and it reminded her again of how far apart their worlds really were. She couldn't remember the last time she had gone to a night club and she rarely ate dinner in a restaurant. She couldn't help but be happy when he agreed to staying home and acting like a normal person by eating hamburgers with her. Of course she also was not a big drinker so she didn't usually keep wine in the house. She was sure that even if she did, it would probably not be the expensive wine that Lee was obviously used to. In the end, it didn't matter because her Mother had come home early due to the storm and it had ruined the whole little moment that they had been enjoying together. She had no idea that it would begin pouring rain right after he snuck outside.

After convincing her Mother that she would clean up the kitchen, Amanda quickly went to the living room and was relieved that Lee's bag was under an end table and had not been noticed. She carried it out and had Lee follow her to the garage. She wished that she still had the air mattress so he would have been more comfortable but it had developed a hole the last she and the boys had gone camping so she had disposed of it. The only thing she could offer was a sleeping bag. He didn't seem upset with her though and even reassured her that it wasn't her fault. She smiled warmly at the gesture of care he had given to her feelings and then left him alone so he could hopefully get some sleep.

It hadn't been easy for her to fall asleep since she knew he was out there. What if her Mother went out to the garage and found him? How would she explain who he was or why he was there? "Mother, this is my friend Lee. He's supposed to be dead but he is really alive so I told him he could sleep in our garage a few days until he is able to let people know he is alive again." Her Mother rarely went out to the garage though so hopefully she wouldn't have a reason to now. The boys might go looking for something but she would have to be up early to make sure they didn't. As her mind continued to think, she finally fell asleep.

The sun was just starting to rise when she awoke and realized she needed to get up to stop anyone from going out to the garage. She quickly got dressed and went downstairs. No one was awake yet so she breathed a sigh of relief. She began making pancakes and sausage for breakfast. Amanda had just put a dish in the oven to keep it warm when the phone rang. "Oh Hi Mrs. King, is Lee around?"

"I'm sorry Mr. Melrose but Mother came home last night so I had to move Lee to the garage. He said you would be calling though. Is there a message I can give to him?"

"Yes, write this down and give it to him." Billy quickly relayed the information on where Lee could find the personnel director and what her name was and then told Amanda to wish him luck.

Amanda had just hung up the phone when the boys came running down the stairs. Her Mother followed soon after. Amanda put out the food and soon everyone was busy eating. Since it was Monday, the boys should have been back in school but they had already been excused from school due to the trip to Williamsburg. Even though they didn't get to spend much time in Williamsburg, Amanda had still decided the boys could stay home for the day as long as they worked on their homework since they hadn't had time to do it.

"I have to go out for a little while and run some errands. Do you need anything before I go?"

"No dear, I'm going to go up and enjoy a new book I bought for the trip. I think I caught a bug and I want to just take it easy today."

"That's a good idea Mother. Okay fellas, you spend the next few hours doing your homework, right?"

"Yes Mommy." They both said together.

"Okay, maybe we can do something special when I get home."

"Can we go to the arcade?" Phillip asked.

"We'll see. Okay, I'm going to head out now. I'll be back."

Amanda went out to her car and saw that Lee had already got into the back seat and was lying down. At least she hoped it was Lee and not the murderer. She got into the car and immediately said "Lee is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me. Did Billy call?"

"Yes" Amanda said as she closed the car door. She backed the car out of the driveway and headed to where Billy had told her Lee would find Mrs. Peters. Lee sat up once they were away from Amanda's block. She told him what Billy had said and then drove him to the location. Amanda pulled up to the front of the building and Lee got out. He leaned over and said "Okay, go straight to my apartment and get the stuff on my list and then come pick me up, okay?"

"Sure, that is what I was going to do." Amanda smiled and then drove off as Lee looked after her. She arrived at Lee's apartment and began looking over his list as she tried to figure out where things would be. The first item was for an address book in the desk. As she sat down, she saw a note that reeked of perfume lying on the desk. She couldn't resist picking it up and looking at it. It was from one of Lee's lady friends and she had written that their night was fab and signed it Debbie with an "ie". "Why do I let all his relationships get to me" Amanda thought as she left the crumpled note back on his desk. As she headed to get his toothbrush, there was a knock at the door and it turned out to be that nice doorman Floyd Feller who was checking to see who was in Mr. Stetson's apartment. He had always thought that Amanda was one of Lee's lady friends and was shocked to hear her say she was a relative and was there to snatch items before the others arrived. She knew that they would have to come up with some story later on but for now, she needed to avoid having to explain anything to him. She closed the door in his face and then winced because it was so rude and so unlike her.

As she turned around, she noticed that the door she was just about to go through before she heard the knock on the door was now open. It wasn't open before. Was she just imagining that it was closed? No, she was pretty sure it had been closed. How did it become opened? She cautiously began walking to the door and just as she was about to pass through, she was grabbed and pulled aside. She struggled and heard a man say "Oh, Mrs. King, don't fight me. I don't want to have to hurt you; at least not yet."

Amanda stopped struggling and allowed him to pull her to a chair where he pushed her so that she sat down. He then tied her to the chair so she couldn't move.

"What happens now?" she asked.

"Now, we wait for Mr. Stetson to call."

"What makes you think he will call?"

"My guess is that someone will notice that I dug up his grave last night and let him know that I know he is alive. That should lead him right back to his apartment."

"Oh and then what?"

"Then we'll wait for him."

It was at that moment that the phone rang and Russell Sinclair told Lee to come to his apartment alone if he wanted to see Amanda alive again. After he hung up, he chatted with Amanda for a bit and she could tell that the man wasn't stable. Lee was going to walk right into a trap and she had no way to warn him. He soon got busy putting dynamite all over the walls and around the apartment. It would easily blow up the whole building and he seemed to be eager to do so and kill a lot of innocent people. He definitely needed some professional help and Amanda could only hope that Lee could somehow capture him and he could be checked into a facility.

Russell grew quiet and seemed to be preparing himself for Lee's arrival. They both heard the sound coming from the other room and Russell grabbed Lee's dueling sword off the wall and bent over Amanda and said quietly "Not a word if you know what is good for you. I don't need you anymore so I could kill you right now, understand?"

Amanda nodded as she gulped. Russell then quickly went across the hall and hid in the bathroom and waited for Lee to come through the bedroom and appear in the hallway. Amanda couldn't see what was going on but a few minutes later Lee walked into the livingroom with the sword pushed into his back. As he walked in, he looked at Amanda and nodded as if to ask her if she was okay. She was more worried about him and then suddenly Russell moved away from him. Lee nodded to Amanda again as if to tell her it was going to be okay just as Russell lit the fuse on the dynamite. Lee threw the coffee table at him as he jumped for the other sword and soon they were dueling through the apartment. Lee tried to put out the fuse but it sprang back to life. The intense fight continued into the bedroom and Amanda couldn't see what was going on anymore. When the sound of the swords hitting each other stopped, Amanda hoped that Lee had won. She yelled at to remind him about the fuse since it was almost ready to start setting off the dynamite. It was at almost the same moment that the Doorman Floyd Feller yelled out and used his key to come in and found the unusual scene. He seemed really upset about what he saw and after a few words, he left without even mentioning the fact that Lee was alive.

Meanwhile Lee had put out the fuses and came over to untie Amanda. She reminded him that he was back among the living and that he could go back to his usual life style instead of living like a normal person. He mentioned that he wouldn't be having Hamburgers and wine at her place and she asked if he was disappointed. He said he wasn't but then asked her if she was. Deep down, she knew she was very disappointed but her Mother was back anyway and it was time for Lee to go back to his life. Maybe at some point, they would have a time when they could have a regular meal together like normal people but for now it was time for Lee to go back to being Lee and Amanda needed to go back to her family.

Lee finished untying her and then called Billy. Amanda got up and stretched and then rubbed her wrists where the ropes had cut into them.

"You know, you don't have to hang around here." Lee said. "The agency people should be here shortly to bottle up the scene and take Sinclair away. Are you okay driving home?"

"Yeah. Lee are you going to be okay? Is it really over?"

"Yes, it is really over and I'm fine. Just fine. Now go on home, I'm sure your family is wondering where you are."

"Thanks and I'm sure they are."

Lee watched as she left his apartment. He couldn't help but feel a little disappointed that they didn't get to have hamburgers and wine together. It would have been interesting to see what it felt like to be a normal person. He owed her a lot for her letting him stay at her house and helping him solve the case. Maybe he could at least take her out for hamburgers and wine. It wasn't her idea of normal but it was a good compromise. He smiled as he thought about it just as the doorbell rang and the agency arrived.

 **TBC**


	7. Chapter 7 - Surprising Request

**Chapter 7 - A Surprising Request**

It took the agency several hours to sweep the scene and then clean up the evidence so that people wouldn't know that something had gone on there. Lee gave his statement during that time and answered questions. At one point Francine had showed up and punched him in the shoulder.

"Owww, what was that for?" Lee demanded.

"For keeping me in the dark that you were alive while telling Amanda King. I'm really upset with you Lee Stetson. I thought we were friends."

"Now Francine, you know that it had nothing to do with that. I couldn't tell you; it was on a need to know basis. Amanda put me up at her house and since she wasn't agency, she was safer to move around and help me investigate my own murder. Come on, you know how this works, I don't have to explain it to you."

Francine sighed and said "Yeah, I know but I was upset that you were dead so it would have been nice to know that you weren't."

"I'm sorry Francine. The next time I'm reported dead when I'm alive, I will make sure you know, okay?"

"Very funny!" Francine said as she saw the twinkle in his eyes. "Okay, well I guess we are done here. So you will be back at the agency tomorrow?"

"Oh yeah, it will be good to get back to a normal life."

"Oh did the little housewife not keep things exciting enough for you?"

"FRANCINE! Amanda was really very generous to let me stay at her house. I just couldn't do my normal things since I couldn't be seen in public. Now will you stop picking on her? Please?"

"Oh Touchy, touchy. Fine, I'll see you tomorrow." Francine said as she exited Lee's apartment.

After everyone cleared out, Lee began pacing around his apartment. The agency had taken away all the dynamite and had helped clean up the mess that had been produced from the fight. There was nothing they could do about the scorch marks in Lee's carpet though and he would eventually have to pay for them when he got ready to move. For now, he would just keep them as a reminder of this chapter in his life.

Since it was early evening, Lee wondered if he should see if anyone wanted to go out with him. He picked up one his black books and began looking through it when there was a knock on his door.

Lee reached instinctively for his gun and walked quietly over to his door. He left the gun in his back pocket with his hand on it while the other hand swung open the door. Floyd Feller stood in front of him. Lee let out a sigh of relief and realized he needed to stop being worried since the killer was now dead.

"I'm sorry Mr. Stetson, did I startle you again?"

"Yes, what can I do for you Mr. Feller?"

"Please call me Floyd" He said as he peered into Lee's apartment.

Lee watched him and turned around to see what he was looking at.

"I'm sorry to bother you Mr. Stetson. Are you alone?"

"Yes, I am. You aren't bothering me. I was just about to call someone though so is there something I can do for you?"

"Oh, you are busy! I can come back another time."

Lee sighed and said "No, do you want to come in?"

"Yes, thank you. I just got off duty." Floyd said as he took off his hat and came into Lee's apartment. He sat down on the couch even though Lee hadn't invited him to. Lee looked at the situation for a second and then took a seat in the chair across from the couch.

"Forgive me, Mr. Stetson. I knew after I saw you today, that you might be the answer to my problem."

"Problem?"

"Yes, well see, I have a beautiful daughter who I haven't seen for a few months. You see one day she got mad at her Mom and me and she packed some bags and left in the middle of the night. She did leave us a note but she didn't say where she was going. I have had a Private Investigator trying to track her down all this time. He has cost me a lot of money but he finally figured out that she is actually still in the DC area."

"It took him 4 months to figure that out?" Lee asked.

"Yeah well, I'm not happy with him and he knows it but he won't go any further with his investigation. In fact just today, he informed me that he was walking away and that I didn't have to pay him anything more which is good because I didn't intend to. So you see why I wanted to talk to you?"

"No, not really."

"Mr. Stetson, it has always baffled me about your life and life style and then when I heard you were murdered and suddenly you came back from the dead and THEN all those agency people showed up today after that man fell out your window; WELL I finally put 2 and 2 together and realized you were part of the agency."

Lee suddenly sat straight up and Floyd had his complete attention. "How do you know about the agency?" he demanded.

"I actually wanted to join myself in my younger days but I could never get my weight down enough to become a field agent. My best friend got in though and he loved it. He was moving up the ladder when his luck ran out and they found his body in the Potomac. It seems he had gotten a little too close to an espionage ring and so he had to go. I always wondered if I would have been with him that day if I had joined. I guess it doesn't matter at this point. So will you help me?"

"Help you do what?" Lee asked confused as he tried to follow the conversation.

"Save my daughter."

Lee was still confused. "Save her from what?"

"Oh, I forgot to tell you that part, didn't I? Well it seems that she is with a Russian Diplomat and is pretty much his slave from what I was told. The PI didn't think she looked like she was drugged but it isn't like her to not come home. She is not acting like herself so I know he has done something to her. She wouldn't disgrace herself like that if she wasn't under some sort of influence. I figured that you could use the agency to get into this man's home somehow then you could convince her to come home."

"What makes you think I can use the agency in that way?"

"This is no ordinary Russian Diplomat. The US has wanted to get their hands on him for a long time. Does the name Aleksandr Fedorov mean anything to you?"

Lee thought for a minute and then said "Isn't he the man who convinced the 20 college kids to do a suicide pact?"

"That's the one. He uses his power to somehow coerce young people into things they would never do so he can scare his enemies. He is determined to control the world with the use of these young people and now he has my daughter."

"Yeah, the man is a fruitloop. I didn't know he was in DC though."

"He has a house in DC. Will you help me?"

"Where in DC? Do you know exactly where?

"He's got a house in the Barnaby Woods neighborhood. He's on Tennyson Street Northwest."

"Wow, that's a pretty rich neighborhood." Lee said

"Yes, I believe he is there so no one will think twice if he has a lot of parties and activities going on."

"I guess that makes sense depending on what his next plan is."

"Will you help me?" Floyd asked again.

"Let me talk to my boss about it and I'll let you know if the agency can help, okay?"

Floyd got up and began pumping Lee's hand "Thank you sir, thank you. I really appreciate it."

"Look, I didn't promise anything yet. I have to make sure the agency wants to get involved. I'll let you know tomorrow after your shift ends, okay? Come back to my apartment and I should be home."

"Thank you Mr. Stetson. I will keep my fingers crossed that they say they will help." Floyd told Lee the number of the house so he could check out his story and then left the apartment.

After Floyd left, Lee found himself wondering how these things always seemed to fall into his lap. He poured a glass of scotch and sat down to relax. It sure was good to be home though.

 **TBC**


	8. Chapter 8 - Back at the Agency

**Chapter 8 - Back at the Agency**

Billy had been kind enough to have Agent Cline drive Lee's Porsche back to his apartment while they were cleaning up after Russell Smith. It saved Lee from having to figure out a way to get to the agency. Leatherneck had called him and told him that it just needed a belt replaced and then it was good to go. He also told him that it was good to hear that he hadn't really been killed because he wouldn't be able to play with his car anymore. Lee had chuckled as he hung up with him.

The rest of the night had been uneventful and Lee had decided to spend it alone and to get some much needed rest. If the agency had a chance to finally catch up with Fedorov, he wouldn't be doing much sleeping for a few more days.

The next morning came soon enough and Lee decided to go to the agency a little early so he could talk to Billy. However, when he walked into the bullpen, he discovered that Francine had arranged a little party for his "coming back to life." As he walked though the door, someone opened a bottle of champagne and handed him a glass. It was a little early in the morning to be drinking but Lee didn't want to be rude so he took the glass especially since everyone else in the room already had one too.

"Welcome Back Lee. We were able to save your desk and we might even be able to round you up a stapler."

"Very funny Billy."

"Yes well, it is good to have you back Lee. Francine has missed you, haven't you Francine?"

"Of course since no one bothered to let me in on what was going on."

"Don't start this again Francine. Okay everyone, party is over. Let's get back to work." Billy said. Everyone booed over the short lived break from work.

Lee followed Billy into his office and closed the door. Francine knocked when she saw they were both in together and Billy looked at Lee to see if she could be included or not. Lee nodded and got up and let her in. Lee then began pacing as he prepared to tell them what he had learned.

"Join us Francine. You should hear this too." Lee quickly told them about Floyd's visit and his request for help.

"Wow, that's a pretty dangerous man. The agency would love to get him kicked out of the country since we can't touch him otherwise. Do you think the address Floyd supplied is correct?"

"He seemed pretty sure of it and I don't think he would lie since his daughter's life is in danger. Can I tell him that the agency will help him?"

"Yes, but how are we doing to do that? Just like the others, this girl sounds like she is already under whatever spell he creates. If you go in to try to rescue her, she is going to kick and scream and he is going to know that we are on to him."

"Yeah, I thought of that. So we can't do it that way. I think what we need to do is to set up a scenario where we get one of our people inside and that person gains the trust of Floyd's daughter."

"Okay, I'll do it." Francine said quickly.

Lee paused in his pacing and looked at her a moment baffled and then realized that she had misunderstood his train of thought. Billy picked up on it right away and said "I don't think you were what Lee had in mind. Go on Lee."

"Sorry Francine, I think this needs a more delicate touch and well you know, you are not always the best around other females."

"What do you mean? I am fine around other females. I am liked by females and I can relate to most of them."

"This is a young girl who obviously has some issues if he was able to convince her to join him. She is going to need a motherly touch in order to gain her confidence. I don't see you being able to do that Francine. No, as much as I hate putting Amanda into this kind of danger, I think she is our only chance of gaining this girl's trust."

"AMANDA? Come on Lee. You act like she is an agent now or something. Just because you and Billy let her take a few courses, doesn't make her an agent."

"I'm not looking for an agent for this assignment; I'm looking for someone who can gain the trust of a person who likely is going to be too scared to trust. Look at how well she did with Alexi. This is right up her alley." Lee replied.

"Fine, get Amanda. I have work to do." Francine said as she stormed out.

Lee swiped his hand through his hair as he looked at Billy.

"Let her go Lee. She will get over it. I agree with you. Francine would never be able to pull this off. Mrs. King on the other just might be able to."

"I don't like it much but I don't see any other way. So the agency will approve moving forward with this? I have to meet with Floyd tonight so I will get all the information on his daughter that I can at that time."

"Yes, you have the agency's blessing to go forward."

"Good! I am going to see if I can get a job inside his house so that I can be nearby. I thought I would go today and inquire so it doesn't draw any suspicion for both of us showing up at the same time."

"Sounds good. Keep me updated and good luck" Billy said.

"Yeah, luck is something I think we all could use a little of right now." Lee said as he exited Billy's office. He looked over at Francine and noticed that she was making sure she didn't look up. Lee made his way to the elevator and soon was out at his car. He wasn't happy at all with the idea of sending Amanda into this situation but there wasn't much choice. Francine was definitely not a person that most women warmed up to. He remembered well how quickly Penny had warmed up to Amanda and trusted her almost immediately. If anyone could do this, he believed Amanda could. He just needed to figure out a way to be there too so he could keep her safe. All those thoughts were swirling in his head as he headed for Barnaby Woods.

 **TBC**


	9. Chapter 9 - Groundwork

**A/N: Just in case you didn't notice, I changed the rating to a T rating. Even though there will be very few if any details about what is happening, the subject matter is there and I just wanted to warn people.**

 **Chapter 9 - Groundwork**

Lee drove to the address that Floyd had given to him. The house was impressive and Lee couldn't help but stare in awe of it. It was a huge mansion and was guarded by a man at the front door with a rifle. Lee pulled down the block a bit so his car wasn't too obvious and then made sure his gun was out of sight and walked back to the house and approached the security guard.

"Hi, I heard that there might be a job possibility here? I could really use a job." He said as he got near enough for the guard to hear him.

"Where did you hear that we were looking for help?" The guard asked.

"I was in a bar last night and telling people that I needed a job and they mentioned here."

"I think you have the wrong address. Move along." The guard said.

"Really? Mikey Moffett was sure I could get a job here." Lee threw out a name that he knew Fedorov would know. It was taking a big chance since Mikely would not know him if they checked with him but it was a chance Lee decided he had to take.

"You know Mikey?"

"We aren't best friends but yeah, I know him." Lee answered.

"Wait right there." The guard said as he stepped inside the house. Lee didn't have to wait long before the guard came back and motioned for Lee to follow him. He led him to the kitchen and told him to sit down and wait and then he left him alone. Lee looked around the huge kitchen and wondered who was going to meet with him. He didn't have long to wait until this plump Italian woman walked out with an apron on.

"Rudolph says you are looking for a job? I could use someone to run errands for me and help keep the kitchen clean, are you interested?"

"Sure, that would be great!"

"It doesn't pay much but we could give you a room if you want one and feed you 3 meals a day. Would that help?"

"Yes, that is very generous. Thank you."

"I didn't catch your name."

"Oh I'm sorry. My name is Lee Steadman and can I ask you what your name is?"

"I'm Mrs. Esposito. I do all the cooking around here. Come on; let me show you the room that you can use."

Lee had to hurry to keep up with her as she went through the grand hallway and then up the fancy winding staircase. The first room on the left was the one she told him he could use.

"Now keep in mind that there are some important people in this house and they don't like people in their business. This room has its own bathroom so there is no reason for you to be anywhere else up here, got it?"

"Got it. Look, would it be okay to start tomorrow? I have a few errands I need to run today since I'll be working now."

"Sure, suit yourself but make sure you are back here at 8 am sharp or else don't bother coming back, understand?"

"Oh yes Ma'am" Lee said.

He hurried back to his Porsche and quickly got out of the area before anyone saw him.

He decided that he was going to have to get a car that would look more the part than the Porsche and that would mean a visit to Leatherneck; but first he needed to go convince Amanda to help them out. Since he had strict orders not to be found in other parts of the house, he knew that he definitely needed Amanda to be his eyes and ears. As much as he hated putting her in danger, this was one time; he hoped she didn't say no.

After he was away from Barnaby Woods, he pulled over to the first payphone he saw. After putting in the correct change, he dialed Amanda's number. He already knew it by heart. He was relieved when she picked up the phone instead of one of the family members.

"Hi, what are you doing for the next few days?"

"Well Hi Lee, how are you. I'm fine, thanks for asking." Amanda said with a smile. Every time she thought she had convinced him to use phone manners, he would go back to not using them.

"Sorry Amanda, I'm at a payphone so I don't have much time. Can you meet me at that cafe near the agency so we can talk?"

"Sure, I can be there in 30 minutes." Amanda answered.

"That's perfect."

About 30 minutes later they both sat at a table and ordered coffee.

"So what do you need me to do?" Amanda asked.

Lee filled her in all the developments since he had last seen her and how important it was that they get to this man.

"Okay, I still don't understand what you want me to do though." Amanda said while looking puzzled.

"We are going to set it up so you bump into Floyd's daughter and become her new best friend. If you can gain her trust than she will take you anywhere she goes and that will give us the access to find out what is happening and to hopefully take this man down. She might also know what his plans are so we can stop whatever diabolical idea he is forming now."

"Ohhhhh, I see. How will you arrange me to meet her though if he keeps her so protected?"

Lee ran his hand through his hair again and got silent.

"Wait? So you don't have a plan for us meeting?"

Lee sighed and confessed "Not yet. I have to meet with Floyd in just over an hour. I'm hoping he has some suggestions."

"Okay, I'll wait to hear from you then."

"Yeah. I'll call you, okay?"

"Okay, I think Mother has a date tonight so it should work out."

"Great! I'll talk to you later then." Lee said as he got up to leave. He put some money on the table to pay for the coffees and then walked Amanda out to her car. She waved goodbye as she pulled away. Lee hurried to his car. It was time to go get a car from Leatherneck before heading home. Somehow driving a Porsche would probably not convince anyone that he was a hard luck soul needing a job doing errands.

Leatherneck was under the hood when Lee arrived at the garage. Lee quickly told him that he needed a car and why. Leatherneck realized he had the perfect one for him. He brought him over to a dark blue Buick Skylark.

"Isn't this kind of big?" Lee asked.

"It is, but if you need to transport people or run errands, it will have plenty of room. Trust me; this is the perfect car for what you are doing."

Lee sighed as he ran his hand through his hair. "Okay Leatherneck. It's not going to break down is it?"

"Oh no, it should be good for about a week."

"Gee thanks. Okay, I owe you one." Lee said as he took the key and got into the car. "Make sure no one damages the Porsche while its here huh?"

"She'll be fine. Do you want me to do some tuning on her while she is here?"

"No, she's been running fine since you had her last."

"Okay, good luck. Take good care of the car."

"I will. Thanks Leatherneck."

Lee headed for his apartment. He needed to have a long talk with Floyd so he could move forward with all of this. He could only hope that Floyd had some good answers.

 **TBC**


	10. Chapter 10 - Sabrina

**Chapter 10 - Sabrina**

Lee arrived back at his apartment just before Floyd got off duty. They nodded to each other as Lee walked through the hallway to the elevator that would take him to his apartment. A short time later there was a knock at the door. Lee opened the door and beckoned Floyd inside and motioned to him to take a seat. Floyd sat down and immediately asked "Did the agency agree to help?"

"Yes, we will help but we need more information from you." Lee answered as he pulled out a pad of paper out of his desk drawer along with a pen and sat down in the chair opposite Floyd.

"What kind of information?"

"Okay, so first why don't you tell me more about your daughter?"

"What do you want to know?"

"I need to know all the basics like her name, her age, what does she look like, her hobbies or anything she enjoys doing?"

Floyd reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a picture and handed it to Lee. "This was taken just before she disappeared." Floyd told Lee as he looked at the picture and saw a beautiful young girl who looked to be around 20, had long beautiful hair that was braided, brown eyes and was very petite. He noticed that her skin was so black that she almost glowed. She was a truly beautiful woman.

"Sabrina is 21 years old and sometimes goes by the name Brina to her friends. Her favorite thing to do has always been to go roller skating. She used to go every chance she could convince me to drive her to the rink. She doesn't really have any other hobbies. She doesn't collect anything and she doesn't like making things. She mostly just always enjoyed hanging out with her friends."

"So roller skating would be something that she enjoyed enough that she might still like to do it even if under Fedorov's influence?

"Oh yes. She lived for roller skating. Oh and she loved animals too. We couldn't have them where we lived but she was always bringing home kittens and trying to convince me to let her keep them."

"Great, that's all useful information. I think I have what I need."

"Mr. Stetson, will she be safe in all of this?"

"Floyd, you know we will keep her as safe as we can. I promise."

Floyd sighed and stood up. He shook Lee's hand and said "I know you will. She's my only child and I'm worried about her."

Lee softened his voice and said "I know. Trust me; I'm going to do everything in my power to rescue her. So I just need you to be a little patient and let us do the work, okay? It isn't going to help if you show up while we are doing this so I need you to stay away. Okay?"

Floyd sighed again as he knew Lee was right and agreed "Okay."

"Good man. I'm going to be away for a few days while we do this. So keep an eye on my apartment. Floyd, hang in there, okay?"

"Yeah. Thanks." Floyd let himself out of the apartment. As he began to shut the door, he turned as if to ask one more thing but then thought better of it. It might be best if he didn't know how they intended to do any of this. He was already going to worry enough without knowing the details.

As soon as Floyd was gone, Lee called Billy and told him what he had found out and laid out his plan to him. Billy quickly agreed that it might work and told him he would set everything up. They agreed that they would wait until the morning after Lee had arrived and then Billy would send in an agent to visit the house with an offer that Sabrina would not want to pass up. Lee thanked Billy for his help and they hung up.

Lee then called Amanda and explained the plan to her.

"Do you think it will work?"

"I don't know, can you roller skate?"

"I haven't been in a few years but I think I can still skate a little."

"If you play your part right then, it should work perfectly." Lee answered.

"Okay, so I should be at the rink around 7pm tomorrow?"

"Yes, that hopefully will work. I'll let you know if it has to change. Remember, we don't know each other."

"Well of course we don't. I know that!" Amanda said. Did the man really think she was that stupid?

"Alright, I just wanted to be sure. I'll see you tomorrow." Lee said as they hung up.

As he sat on his couch with his phone still in his lap, Lee couldn't help but daydream a little. Could Amanda pull this off? It was going to take a bit of acting and a share of lying which was not something Amanda liked to do. It was in her hands though. He just had to have faith she could do it.

Lee's stomach began growling and he realized he was hungry so he dialed his favorite pizza place and ordered a large pizza with everything on it. While he waited, he flipped through one of his black books and wondered if he should see if anyone wanted to come over for the night. It was really short notice though and he had to be back at his new job by 8am so he decided to skip the idea. He definitely needed some woman companionship once this case was over though.

The pizza arrived and Lee poured himself a glass of wine to go with it. It wasn't Burgers and wine but pizza was a normal thing to eat. He ate most of the pizza and then stuck the rest in his very empty refrigerator. He switched on the tv and watched the news but it didn't hold his interest and soon he began thinking about this case. He hoped everything would fall into place and Sabrina would take the bait so that she could meet Amanda. It might be their only shot so it had to work. Lee soon found himself falling asleep so he shut all the lights off and headed for bed. It might be one of the last times for him to get a good night rest so he knew he should take advantage of it. Everything could change after tomorrow.

 **TBC**


	11. Chapter 11 - Becca

**Chapter 11 - Becca**

Lee arrived at the Fedorov mansion at 7:30am. When Mrs. Espositio saw him, she was thrilled and went over and pinched his cheek. "You are much too skinny. Please sit down and I'll make you some breakfast."

"Just coffee" Lee responded.

"Nonsense, I make a mean omelet. It will only take a couple of minutes."

"I'm not much of a breakfast person." Lee said hoping to get out of it. Mrs. Esposito was not to be deterred though and soon she had placed the omelet in front of him. Lee had no choice but to try to eat it. As he picked at it, Mrs. Esposito began telling him her plans for him for the day.

"So first thing I think I will send you to the market. I've been meaning to go myself but haven't had the time. This is perfect timing for you to show up to help me. I have a list of things that I need you to pick up. Then when you get back, you can carry the laundry down the stairs. While you are gone, I should be able to get the load washed and dried and ready to be folded. Oh maybe you can help me fold too. Then after that - "

She suddenly stopped talking and Lee picked up his head to see why. There in front of him stood Sabrina. She was even more beautiful than her picture.

"Who is he?" She asked.

"This is Lee. He's my new helper. Lee, this is Becca. She's a special friend of the owner of the home."

Lee noticed the name change and wondered if Sabrina had done that or if Fedorov did. He held out his hand to shake hers and she walked past him and sat down in one of the other chairs.

"Becca, can I make you some breakfast."

"That would be great Mrs. Esposito."

"Now Becca, we have talked about that. Call me Judy, okay?"

"OH, sorry, Judy. Can I have what he is having?" Becca gestured towards Lee's picked over plate.

"Sure sweetie, anything your heart desires." Mrs. Esposito headed for the refrigerator when suddenly there was a knock at the door. She pivoted and quickly reached the back door and opened it.

"Hi, I hope I'm not disturbing you."

"What do you want? We are busy."

"Oh Sorry Ma'am. I'm in the neighborhood dropping off these flyers.."

"What kind of flyers?"

"Oh to advertise our new Roller rink. We are just opening it up down the street. We intend to entice the elite to come enjoy roller skating. Our facility is state of the art and we have spared no expense of making this an enjoyable time out. Do you know anyone in this house that would be interested in roller skating? If we get enough people, we might try to put together a team for the next Olympics."

Sabrina had gotten up and walked over to the man at the door and taken the flyer.

"It's $20 to get in and everything is supplied?" Sabrina asked.

"That's right. Do you skate?"

"Yes, I do. I love skating. I haven't done it in months. Tonight is opening night?"

"That's right! We are running a special too. It is only $10 to get in tonight. The doors open at 6:30pm and we'll stay open until 11pm."

"Becca? You sound like this would mean a lot to you. I could have Mr. Steadman drive you over and wait for you. You would do that wouldn't you?"

"Of course! Anything you need me to do." Lee said quickly.

"I don't know. Do you think Aleksandr would be angry if he found out?"

"He's out of town right now. One night of fun out for you is not something we need to tell him, okay? His men will be settled for the night after I get done feeding them." Mrs. Esposito winked as she said it.. "You can go for a few hours and come home safely with Mr. Steadman and then if you really like it, we can ask him another time if he would be okay with you going. Deal?"

"DEAL!" Sabrina exclaimed as she rushed to hug Mrs. Esposito.

"Thank you young man. I think you can count on the lady of the house attending." Mrs. Esposito said.

"Great news! I'll let my boss know." The man then left and the door was closed behind him. Lee smiled inside because so far the plan was working perfectly.

"Thank you Judy! I'm so excited. This is the first time I have been able to have fun in months. What should I wear?"

"How about that cute pink dress that you wore to dinner a few nights ago? That one always looks so good on you."

"Okay, I think it was cleaned already. Let me go find it."

"Remember not to be too excited around the other staff. We wouldn't want them to realize something is up and refuse to let you go."

Sabrina looked sad for a moment and then said "I will remember. Thanks for reminding me."

Judy in the meantime had whipped up another omelet and set it in front of Sabrina. While her back was turned, Lee managed to scrap the rest of his into the garbage and went to the sink to rinse off his plate.

"Why don't I get started with that grocery list?" Lee suggested.

Judy pulled a piece of paper from a magnet on the fridge and handed it to him.

"Great, I'll be back in a couple of hours and then we can do the other chores you mentioned."

Lee quickly left the house through the back door and got into the borrowed car. He kept an eye on things to make sure he wasn't being followed and when he arrived at the grocery store, he went directly to the payphone inside the store.

Billy picked up on the third ring.

"Hey Billy. It worked like a charm. Sabrina is going by the name of Becca these days though." He quickly filled Billy in on what had happened so far and asked him to call Amanda for him. Billy said he would handle it and instruct her to be there no later than 7pm. Lee gave Billy a description of what Sabrina looked like and told Billy to tell Amanda that she would be in a pink dress. They hung up and Lee spent the next hour grocery shopping. He could tell this household ate well by the items Mrs. Esposito had him pick up. The bill came to just over $100 and Lee handed over the money she had given him. He took the change and loaded everything into his car and then headed back.

The rest of the day was uneventful. Lee spent the day helping Mrs. Esposito with her chores and he knew she liked having him around.

They were both folding clothes and suddenly Mrs. Esposito said "I want to thank you for driving Becca tonight. The child has been so alone and sad looking since she came here."

"Oh? Has she been here long?"

"No, she is one of His girls. He hooks up with young girls and somehow entices them to be involved with him and then eventually he bores of them and finds another one. Meanwhile, the girls from the past are put up in a nice house across the street and he continues to take care of them. It is like he has some sort of hold on them because none of them ever go home or seem to leave. It is a weird situation. Well I probably shouldn't tell you any of that but I really like Becca and hate seeing her involved with him. He's not a nice man."

"He's your boss though."

"Yes, he is. He wasn't always though. The original owner of this house was a kind man. His name was Sammy Dixon and I had been his head housekeeper for many years. Then one night he suddenly died and Aleksandr said that the house had been given to him."

"Had you ever seen Aleksandr before?"

"Oh yes, he was a frequent visitor. They were supposed to have some sort of business arrangement with each other. Sammy trusted everyone and tried to be a friend to everyone. I think in the end, it was his undoing."

"How So?"

Judy lowered her voice and said "Word has it that Aleksandr decided he didn't want a business partner anymore and decided Sammy had to go. His death was never explained. There was no funeral, no calling hours and his family never came. It was all very suspicious."

"It sounds it." Lee said as he wondered what that was about. He would have to have Francine take a look at the past and see what she could dig up.

"So why do you stay?" Lee asked.

"I'm not entirely sure. I guess I keep hoping that something will happen and this man will disappear and maybe some of Sammy's beautiful children will want to reclaim the house. I have been here for 20 years or more. Where else do I have to go?"

Lee realized how sad she sounded. She had no idea that she was taking care of a Russian who likely was there to do harm to this country.

"So tell me more about the girls in the house across the street. Do you think he has a prostitution ring going on or something?" Lee asked.

"OH No, nothing like that. He finds young girls who have nowhere to go and no home to go home to. From what I can see, he makes them feel special and wanted and then when they think they have found a safe haven, he uses them."

"Uses them?" Lee asked not really wanting the answer.

"Yeah, I don't know if you would call it forced sex or if he just guilts them into thinking that they owe it to him but all of them let him eventually use them. I think they all fight it at first when makes it more fun and challenging to him but as he wears a girl down, he loses interest in her and will look for a new one to conquer."

"Why don't the girls go to the police? It sounds like rape to me."

"They are all too scared to. Most, like I said, don't have any kind of support system and they don't have anyplace else to go. He makes it clear that they will have a place to stay here but if they are disloyal to him, they will die. There have been a few girls who's bodies have showed up in other places and he makes sure that all the girls know the stories just to keep them too scared to go against him."

"So then when he bores of them, he moves them across the street. What happens to them there? Does someone take care of them?"

"Yeah, it is a huge house. I've been told that there are at least 35 actual bedrooms over there. The last I heard, he has about 21 girls living there. He has staff there to keep them fed and to clean up after them and to make sure none of them leave. I'm sure he will bore of Becca soon and she will be shifted there. He has kept her here longer than most of the others. I know it is because she still fights him a lot. He really likes that. He is such an awful man."

"Why would a man want to have to feed 20 or more girls when they aren't doing anything for him though? That is the part that I really don't understand. Lee asked as he thought out loud.

"Well I don't know anything for sure. I just know that he has a reputation of using the girls to intimidate others."

"How does he do that?"

"Well word has it that he is trying to convince powerful people that he can control anything he wants because he has these girls under his control and in the past I think some girls have met violent ends to prove his point."

"Wow, he is an awful man, isn't he?"

"Lee, you can't tell anyone about any of this. I shouldn't have told you any of it. It's not safe here and I know that I'm at risk every day that I stay here but I can't leave. I feel like I have to figure out a way to save those girls. I just haven't figured out any way yet. You can still leave though. If you want to go, I wouldn't blame you. No one really knows you are here yet so you could safely get out now. If you stay though, then you likely will never be able to leave. Just remember that if you go to the police, you will get all of us killed. He has friends everywhere and he pays them off well to tell him who is causing trouble for him."

"I'm not going anywhere. We will figure a way out of this mess together, okay?" Lee said as he gave her a soft smile. He wanted to tell her the truth but he needed to be a little more comfortable before he told her the real reason he was there. He was relieved that she had told him so much though and was pretty sure she would help him try to stop Fedorov.

"Okay" Mrs. Esposito said in a tone that told Lee that she wasn't convinced.

They spent the rest of the afternoon finishing up the daily chores and then Mrs. Esposito began making dinner. Lee asked if he could watch and he enjoyed seeing her cook an authentic Italian meal. When the meal was done, she had her staff carry the bowls and plates out to the big table and called the men down to dinner. As they ate there, the other servants, Mrs. Esposito, Lee and Becca ate at a small table in the kitchen. Lee could tell that Sabrina was busting with excitement but trying not to show it. She quickly plowed through her food as Judy clucked at her and told her "Slow down child. It needs time to settle."

Becca did slow down but soon proclaimed that she was full. Judy suggested that she go get ready and come down in 40 minutes after the men had finished their meal and would be preoccupied doing something else. Meanwhile, Lee finished his meal and then helped clear away the dishes from both tables. Exactly 40 minutes later, Becca came back to the kitchen wearing the pink dress.

"You look beautiful sweetie" Judy told her as she hugged her. Becca was so excited; she was practically jumping out of her skin. They went out the back door to avoid the guard in the front and soon were on their way.

"I promised Mrs. Esposito that I would keep an eye on you so I'm going to follow you in and sit in the bar area, okay? That way if you need me, I'll be right there but otherwise, you can enjoy yourself without someone hovering over you. Deal?"

Becca looked at Lee and realized he was sincere so she said "DEAL!"

They arrived and Lee helped her out of the car. He noticed that Amanda's station wagon wasn't there yet but he had planned for her to arrive about 15 minutes after they got there. He escorted Becca in and then made his way to the bar while she headed to get some roller skates. He took a seat where he could clearly keep an eye on everything going on around him. He then ordered a glass of Scotch and got comfortable. It was up to Amanda to pull it off now. He had done all he could do. He could only hope that Amanda was able to play her part and do what she needed to do.

 **TBC**


	12. Chapter 12 - Bumping Into a New Friend

**TBC**

 **Chapter 12 - Bumping Into a New Friend**

Amanda had gotten the call from Billy that afternoon confirming that the plan was still on and that Lee wanted her there between 6:30 and 7pm. He also told Amanda that the girl was going by the name of Becca. Amanda thanked Billy for the information and they hung up. Now Amanda just needed to get by her Mother and she would be all set.

While they were preparing dinner that afternoon together, Amanda asked "Mother, did you know they opened up that old Roller Rink over on the other side of town?"

"No, I hadn't heard that. Well darling, you know I was never any good at roller skating; that was more your sort of thing."

"Yes, well I found out that tonight is opening night so I'm going to go with some friends. You won't mind watching the boys will you?"

"Of course not. Is Dean going with you? I am not sure Dean can skate though? Can Dean skate?"

"I'm not sure. He's still out of town though. This is just a few ladies from the PTA who invited me."

"Oh, okay. Well I hope you have fun dear. Maybe it is something you could take the boys to some afternoon."

"Maybe."

Amanda sighed in relief. She didn't really lie to her Mother this time. She really was going to the rink and it was just reopened. As soon as dinner was over, she went upstairs and put on the cute outfit that she had picked out for this night and then did up her makeup and headed down the stairs. Unfortunately her Mother was passing through the family room at the same time and saw her. "Amanda Dear, I'm not one to butt in but are you trying to look younger than you are?"

"What do you mean Mother?"

"Well I noticed you are wearing clothes that most women your age wouldn't wear and you put on a lot of makeup for roller skating. Are you meeting someone there? Is this a date?"

"MOTHER! No, this isn't a date. It is just bringing back good memories of the past so I thought I would dress the way I would have back then. Does it look that bad?"

"No dear, it just seems strange for you to be in an outfit that you wouldn't have worn since you were a teenager. Though, it does still look good on you. Okay, well go have fun." Dotty kissed Amanda and gave her a hug and then walked back toward the kitchen shaking her head.

Amanda let out a huge sigh of relief and then slipped out the front door. The dress was definitely shorter than what she would wear these days and she had put on a lot of eye shadow, mascara and blush than she normally would. She needed to fit in with the younger crowd if she was going to earn Becca's trust.

Amanda drove to the rink and parked her car. She walked inside and headed for the skate rental area. Since the skates were being provided for that night, she only had to pay for her admittance. As she waited for them to pull her skates, her eyes went to the bar and she saw Lee sitting there staring at her. The look he was giving her wasn't normal for him and she wondered if she had done something wrong. She knew she couldn't acknowledge knowing him though so she pulled her stare away from him and smiled as the man handed over the skates to her.

Amanda took a seat so she could put her skates on. Since they really hadn't advertised this to many people; there were only a few people skating and Amanda wondered if those people were agents. She checked out everyone on the rink while she laced up her skates and soon saw a young lady dressed in a pink dress that matched the description that Billy had given to her. Thankfully this time, there was only one person dressed in a pink dress. If the whole rink had been full of ladies with pink dresses, she would have probably gotten up and left. Amanda chuckled at the thought of it.

Amanda was soon ready and headed out on the floor. As she began skating, she realized that her body remembered how to do it and so she immediately pretended she didn't. In order for this to work, she needed to be less than graceful on the floor. So she began wobbling and timed it perfectly so that she slammed right into Becca which sent them both flying across the floor.

"OH MY GOSH! I'm so sorry. Are you okay? I'm so so sorry." Amanda said as she tried to stand up but kept letting her legs pull her back down.

"I'm okay" Becca said as she stood up. She was a little irritated that this person had slammed into her until she realized that she had no ability to skate at all. She remembered when she was the one who couldn't skate and how a lovely lady by the name of Mrs. Adams had helped her and taught her to skate.

Becca said "Stop struggling. Let me pull you up. Okay?" She held out her hand and Amanda pretended to stand up but soon pulled Becca back down on top of her again."

At that point, Becca began laughing and said "I know how flower felt teaching Bambi to go on the ice now."

Amanda laughed at the comment and soon Becca was on her feet again and had Amanda on her feet too. She pulled her over to the wall so she could have some support.

"I'm sorry. I have always wanted to skate but have never had the chance. I heard about this opening up and thought I would give it a try. I guess I'm not that good at it. I should probably leave before I hurt someone."

"NONSENSE, we all had to learn at one time. It isn't as easy as it looks to go skating without anyone to show you how. Do you want me to give you some lessons?"

"WOULD YOU? That would be wonderful." Amanda exclaimed.

For the next two hours, Becca showed Amanda how to skate. Amanda played off as being awkward at first but then finally began showing progress. Soon they were arm in arm going around the rink.

After 2 hours, they were both tired and thirsty so they went to the bar area and took a seat. Amanda could see that Lee was close enough to be able to hear the conversation but far enough away that it wasn't obvious that she knew him. They both ordered cokes from the bartender and Becca insisted upon paying for them both.

"You are doing really good out there. You are a fast learner. Look, I didn't even ask your name. Mine is Becca."

"I'm Amanda. I'm doing good because you are a great teacher. How did you learn to skate like that?"

Becca sobered a bit and said "My dad used to take me to the rink all the time. He would sit in the bleachers and watch me when I was little but then when I got older, I convinced him to drop me off so I wouldn't be embarrassed by him being there when I was with my friends. He was always good about letting me have my skating time."

"You sound like your dad and you are close." Amanda said quietly.

"We were. I haven't seen him in a while though."

"How come? I mean is he okay? I'm sorry, that's probably too personal. I didn't mean to butt in to your private life."

"Oh, no, it is okay Amanda. I don't mind you asking. The last I knew he was fine, safe. There has been no reason for him not to be safe. He and I just didn't agree on things anymore and I was tired of fighting with him.

The way Becca said that he was safe didn't elude Amanda. Something definitely didn't seem quite right.

"Does he know where you are? Maybe now that some time has gone by, you two can find some common ground."

"No, it is better if I stay away. Better for him and for me too. Can we talk about something else?" Becca requested.

"I'm sorry Becca. I really appreciate you helping me with learning to skate."

"It has been a pleasure. I don't have many friends right now so it was nice to meet someone nice like you."

"I would love to be your friend." Amanda ventured. "I don't have many friends myself so it is always nice to have someone that enjoys something that I do."

"I would love to be your friend." Becca responded. "I know; maybe we could meet back here on Friday night? We could see how well you learned those lessons."

"I would like that."

"Great! Amanda, but I don't have a phone number to give to you."

"Do you want to take my number?" Amanda asked.

"If you are okay with that? The man I live with is due back soon and I'm not sure what his plans are so if I can't come Friday, I would just want to let you know."

"That's fine." Amanda said as she wrote down her number. She couldn't help but notice that Becca didn't talk about this man in a fond type of way. If she had to guess, she would say that Becca's tone indicated she was scared of him. This must be the man that Lee told her about. She couldn't help but wonder if this man was abusing her but knew that this was not the right time to ask. Also, was it possible that was the reason she needed to stay away from her dad?

"Well I guess I should be going." Becca said. She nodded at Lee as she stood up and gave Amanda a hug. "It was a fun night. Thanks for joining me."

"It was fun for me too. I look forward to Friday."

"Me too!" Becca said as they walked out the door together. They separated at the door and Lee quickly joined up with Becca and escorted her out to his car.

As they drove back to the house, Lee said "It looked like you had fun. Who was the woman you were with?"

"Just someone who was there learning to skate. Her name was Amanda and she seemed really nice. She had no idea how to skate so I taught her how. She was doing pretty good by the time we stopped skating. We are going to try to meet back on Friday. Can you drive me again?"

"Sure, that would be fine." When they reached the house, Lee said "It is late so I'm going to just drop you off if that is okay?"

"I thought you were staying here?"

"I will but I rushed out this morning without grabbing my bag so I don't have any clothes. I'm going to go back to my apartment tonight. I need to start packing it up anyway if I'm going to move in here."

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow then?"

"Yes, I'll be back around 8am tomorrow."

"Okay, thanks Lee." Becca said as she opened her door to get out. She waved as she walked toward the back door to avoid the guard in the front.

Lee did a U-turn in the road and headed back to his apartment. He had almost blown it since he forgot he was supposed to be staying at the house but thankfully Becca bought his story. He just wasn't thinking straight and he wasn't sure what was wrong with him. Thinking back, it had been quite a night. He hadn't expected Amanda to walk in looking like that. He found himself having a hard time taking his eyes off from her and a couple of times he forgot to breathe. She had worn a tight dress that was very short for her. It was not at all normal for Amanda to dress like that. Lee tried to tell himself that he was just worried about Amanda dressing in a way that was sure to attract the wrong kind of men but he knew that he was enjoying the view himself. The rest of the night was pretty much textbook and Lee could tell that Amanda had been studying her lessons from the agency. Amanda had done an excellent job of convincing Becca that she didn't know how to skate and it was the perfect hook to get Becca to help her and stay with her. Yes, Sometimes Amanda King truly did amaze him. By the time they had sat down for a drink, he could tell they were well bonded and he was very pleased with what Amanda had accomplished. This would make it easier trying to get Fedorov. He found himself even more pleased when he discovered that Amanda had already arranged a second meeting for them both. Meanwhile, he found himself still very much affected by how amazing she had looked. He finally decided that he had had too much to drink and he needed to lay off the stuff. He began asking the bartender for soda in hopes that it would help.

Lee was pleased though because things were going exactly as planned. Soon, they would be able to wrap up this case and get Fedorov out of the country. This was going so much smoother than what he had hoped for. What could possibly go wrong?

 **TBC**


	13. Chapter 13 - Fedorov Returns

**Chapter 13 - Fedorov Returns**

Lee was back at the house by 7:30am the next morning and found himself in much the same situation as the day before. Mrs. Esposito insisted on him eating breakfast and made him a plate of scrambled eggs with bacon. It was during these times that Lee wished the place had a dog as he was sure he could get rid of the food with no problem if only there was a dog in the house.

Becca came down the stairs while Lee was pushing his food around and once again asked for what Lee had. Lee wished there was a way to just give his share to her but he knew that he would insult Mrs. Esposito if he did.

"What are your plans today Becca?" Judy asked.

Becca lowered her head and said "Aleksandr is due back sometime today. He will want me available to him."

Lee looked up as she said it and he knew that she didn't sound pleased with the thought. What hold did he have on her? Sadly there was no way to stop things right now without making it known who he was so his hands were tied. He knew Amanda would be very upset if she knew though.

"Oh Child. Is there anything we can do?" Judy asked her.

Becca sadly shook her head and said "No, but I think he is beginning to tire of me. Hopefully he soon will move onto a new girl though I can't help but feel bad when he does."

Judy nodded her head like it was perfectly normal for this conversation to be taking place. Lee was sure that this was not the first girl that Judy had tried to take under her wing and console. Lee wasn't sure what to say but suddenly Becca got up and told them that she needed to go to her room and then fled up the stairs.

"That poor child. I wish I could help her. She's not the first to be forced to live this life though. He breaks them and then he throws them away. Once they don't have the spirit to fight him anymore, they are not as much fun. She is almost there. She was so full of spirit when she first came. She was willing to fight with anyone for what she believed in. He has to be stopped but I don't know how to do that."

Lee still didn't feel that he could trust her enough yet so he decided to see what else she knew. "So he meets these girls and forces them to come with him for what? Sex?"

"Oh no, he is too smart for that. He finds lost souls. The girls usually have a falling out with their parents or loved ones and have temporarily lost their way. He offers them a home, security and a shoulder to cry on. At first he is really gentle with them. He wines and dines them and makes them feel loved and appreciated. You can always tell when all that changes and he decides that it is time for them to pay him back. Usually there are marks on their faces or arms. They look defiant on the outside but you can see in their eyes that they are scared. If a girl is an exceptional fighter, he usually will keep her locked up with him for a whole week until she learns that she has no where to run and must give in to him."

"I don't understand. Why don't you call the police? Why doesn't someone do something?"

"He is a Russian Diplomat with diplomatic immunity. No one can touch him and he knows it. He makes sure we all know it. Every now and then a new staff member will step in and interfere with what is going on. It doesn't take long for that person's body to surface nearby and he makes sure that it is obvious by looking at the body that death did not come quick."

"I asked you before why you stayed. Do you want to tell me the truth now?"

"Lee, no one is allowed to leave. Once you are employed by him, he controls you. He will hurt those you love first to make sure you know he is coming after you and then eventually he will find you and make you pay for not staying loyal to him. I'm really sorry I got you into this mess. If you want to leave, you can. He isn't here yet. If you go now, he won't need to know you were ever here."

"Judy? Can I call you Judy?"

"Yes, I would like that."

"Judy, is it safe to talk here? Do you know for sure that you are not being recorded or filmed?"

"I check every morning when I get up and have never found anything. I pretend that I'm okay with all of this so he trusts me."

"What I'm going to tell you has to stay between us. Becca can't know either, okay?"

Judy looked scared as Lee said those words.

"I'm not the person you think I am. I actually work for the agency. I'm here to get Fedorov out of this country. I had no idea things were this bad though. I know he has done a lot of awful things and he uses these young girls to kill a lot of people including themselves but I had no idea he was forcing them into being sex slaves too."

"The agency? Is that like the FBI?"

"Yeah, something like it. I work for the Government and well I'm an operative."

"So you are a spy?"

"Yes, but I don't like that term much."

"So you are a spy and you fooled me into believing that you were just some poor guy that needed a job." Judy sat down hard in a chair and put her head in her hands.

"Hey, it isn't so bad. I thought you wanted to change things and you said yourself that no one else can do that."

"Can I trust you?"

"I just trusted you, didn't I? You could have those men in here any second and I'd be dead but I'm trusting that what you have told me so far is the truth and that you will be willing to work with me to finally end this horrible nightmare that is going on. Can I count on you?"

"Yes, you can."

"Good. I had an associate of mine make contact with Becca last night. If all goes well, their friendship will continue and she will be invited over here. Amanda will be acting as my eyes and ears while she is here since I'm forbidden from moving around the house. I'm hoping we can figure out what his next plan with all those girls will be. It has been a while since he has done anything so I know he has to be up to something. I'm hoping we can figure out what that is before anyone else gets hurt. So if you could help Amanda in any way you can while she is here, I would appreciate it."

Judy had used the time that Lee was talking to clear her head a bit. She realized that this might be the only way out of this whole mess.

"I understand and I will definitely do whatever I can to help her. Does she know about Becca and Fedorov?"

"I doubt she knows this latest piece of news. Amanda is old fashioned so she wouldn't be happy if it was a mutual agreement; she is going to be really angry when she realizes that it is one sided."

At that moment, Lee and Judy could hear a rush of activity coming their way. A group of men pushed their way into the kitchen and demanded their breakfast. Judy quickly got up and began cooking up more scrambled eggs and bacon while Lee poured coffee and juice for the group of men. They sat around boasting about the boss being back and how each of them had stories to tell him about things they had done that would make him proud. The stories made Lee cringe and he knew that this whole house was full of men who really needed to be put away or stopped. Judy soon had food in front of all of them and then pulled Lee away from them.

"Fedorov will soon be here. You could go out in the front and pretend to clean so you could see him when he arrives."

"No one will be suspicious? Isn't there a regular cleaning person?"

"There was. She's no longer with us." Judy said as she lowered her eyes and Lee knew what she was telling him. "Okay, that sounds like a good plan. Will you be safe with them?" Lee asked.

"Oh yes, I'm an old lady. They pretty much ignore me."

"Okay, I'll be out front then. Where do I find cleaning stuff?"

Judy handed him a mop, rags and some cleaning solutions and Lee headed to the front of the house. He was still trying to absorb this newest bit of information and was thinking that he really needed to let Billy know but at the moment, he wasn't sure how he could do that.

Lee made his way out of the front and got busy wiping down surfaces and dusting items. The men had come out of the kitchen and wandered back to their posts. A few hours later, Lee could tell by the suddenly reaction from the men stationed near him that Fedorov had arrived.

Fedorov walked inside acting every bit like a dictator. He straightened ties, smacked a guy over the head for not cutting his hair and then punched a man for having his shirt hanging out of his pants instead of being tucked in. Aleksandr wore a black leather jacket with black leather pants and it was clear that he had a gun holster on with at least one gun in it. As he came across the threshold, he was smoking a cigarette. As he neared Lee, he stopped and stared at him. Lee couldn't help but worry that he recognized him. Aleksandr walked slowly up to him and crushed his cigarette out on the desk that Lee had been cleaning and said "Who the hell are you?"

"Mrs. Esposito hired me to do odd end jobs around the place sir."

"I didn't ask you that. I asked you who you were. In other words, I'll spell it out for you; what is your name?"

"Oh, I'm sorry sir. I misunderstood. My name is Lee Steadman sir." Lee said as he held out a hand. "Can I ask your name?"

"NO, you may not. JUDY! JUDY! Where are you? Come out here this moment!" Fedorov bellowed.

"Welcome home Mr. Fedorov" Judy said as she came into the room while giving Lee a quick look to see if she could tell what was going on.

"Who is this man and why is he here?"

"I hired him sir. I needed someone to do the cleaning and run errands like grocery shopping for me. I didn't think you would mind sir."

Fedorov walked up to stand in front of Judy and said "Mind? You didn't think I would mind? How many more people do I have to spend money on? Can't any of these men who just stand around all day do these errands for you?"

"Well no sir, they always are too busy. Lee is available to go at any time I need him to."

Aleksandr walked back to Lee. "So how did you find out about this place son?" He asked.

"Find out about this place? I was just trying to find a job sir. I needed the money and someone mentioned that the people in this neighborhood sometimes hire servants and stuff so I was walking around banging on doors and looking for work and Mrs. Esposito told me she could use my help."

"Uh huh. That's all there is to it huh?"

"Mr. Fedorov is there a problem?" Judy inquired.

"No, no problem. I won't let there be a problem. Word on the street is that there is sudden interest in me. The suddenly Mr. Steadman became my new employee. I'm sure you explained to him about what I expect in loyalty though, right?"

"Mr. Fedorov, if that is what you are worried about; I'm loyal to the bone." Lee said.

"That's good to hear. Why don't make yourself useful and go get my suitcases from the car?"

"Absolutely Sir." Lee said as he hurried outside while breathing a sigh of relief. It hadn't taken long for word to leak that Fedorov was on the hot seat. Another leak in the department was worrisome. He could only hope no one knew that it was him that was after Fedorov. Lee found several heavy suitcases and brought them in 2 at a time. It took 5 trips to get them all into the house. Fedorov then instructed him to bring them to the top of the stairs.

"I"m sure Mrs. Esposito explained that if you were caught past the first rooms at the top of the suitcase, that my men would shoot you with no questions asked."

"Yes, she told me that. I don't have any reason to be anywhere else sir." Lee said as he began carrying the heavy bags up the stairs. He couldn't help but wonder what was in them and wish he had been brave enough to sneak a peak while he had been outside alone with them. He could only assume that there were cameras watching all around outside so it would be a big mistake to take that risk right now. Having Fedorov suspicious was going to make things harder.

Lee was fairly winded by the time he got done delivering all the suitcases. One of the men had gone up and moved them into a room further down the hallway. Lee couldn't tell which room was his since the doors couldn't be seen from the staircase.

When he returned to the first floor, Fedorov had already forgotten about him and was arranging a romantic meal to be delivered to his room through Judy.

"I'm sure my little cherry bomb has missed me as much as I have missed her. I want to make tonight a special night for her." Fedorov said. "In the meantime, I'm going to go take a nap. It was a long ride back here and I need my strength for tonight's fun activities." He then marched up the stairs and disappeared. The man made Lee's skin crawl. He cleaned off the desk including pushing the cigarette and ashes into a trashcan and then went back to the kitchen to pretend to clean in there.

Judy was busy pounding steaks with a meat cleaver. "Romantic dinner my butt. He just wants a good meal for himself. He knows full well that girl is not going to want to eat anything but this is his way to make it look like he cares about her. Oh that man makes me so mad." Judy said as she slammed the cleaver down on the steak again.

Lee had gone up behind Judy and he put his hands on her shoulders to comfort her. Judy leaned into him and began to cry. "She's such a sweet kid." Judy said through her tears.

Lee said "Quietly. I know. We will stop him soon and we will make sure he doesn't hurt any young girls ever again."

Judy got control of herself and said "Thanks Lee." They continued preparing the meal. As they were talking, it occurred to Lee that there was one way to stop him from hurting her tonight. He could slip something into the food to make them both drowsy so they both slept. Since it would affect both of them, he might be more willing to believe that he wasn't targeted. Lee shared his thought with Judy and she broke out into a big smile. "That might work. Where do we get something though?"

"What time will he expect dinner?" Lee asked.

"Well it is almost 3pm so we have a couple of hours because he likes to eat at 5pm."

"I'm going to run back to the agency and fill Billy in on everything and get something. Please hold him off until I get back, okay?"

"Hurry Lee. Oh and I'll say that I was out of a few things so I sent you to the store. Can you bring something back in a bag to make it look convincing?"

"Yes Ma'am" Lee said as he gave Judy a quick hug and hurried out the door to his car.

Lee rushed to the agency and parked the car. He hurried inside and motioned to Francine to follow him as he rushed to Billy's office. It didn't take long to fill them both in on what he had learned so far.

"You think we can trust this woman?" Billy asked.

"Yes, her heart is with this girl. She really cares about her. I get the feeling she has cared about all of them but Sabrina seems to have really hit her heart for some reason."

Francine said "Well let me see if I can find out anything about Sammy Dixon and see if we can piece any of that part of the story together. In the meantime, be careful Lee. You just came back from the dead; we don't need to bury you again."

"Does that mean you would miss me Francine?"

Francine cocked her head to the side as she gave him a smirk. "I just can't afford to keep buying good liquor to put on your grave." She then turned around and headed back to her desk.

Lee chuckled as she walked away. After she was gone, Lee became serious and said "We need to pull Amanda off this case."

"What? It sounds like you need her more than ever right now."

Lee stood up and began pacing. "Billy, this is becoming a lot more dangerous than I originally thought. Amanda doesn't belong there. Surely we must have some young female agent who could take her place."

"Lee even if we did, you said that Amanda has already begun to earn Sabrina's trust. We would have to start all over and we don't have time for that. From what you are telling me, Sabrina doesn't have time for that."

Lee swiped his hand through his hair as he paced. "No, you are right. Damn it, I shouldn't have gotten Amanda involved. I knew it was dangerous but this is beyond what I had even imagined."

"I'm sure you will keep her safe."

There was a knock at the door and a delivery person dropped off a bag to Billy. After signing it, Billy handed it to Lee. "This should take care of them for tonight. There's no taste or smell in it so they won't know they are being drugged."

"Good. Hopefully Becca can still get away tomorrow night. Can you tell Amanda to see if she can convince Becca to let her stay for a sleepover? Maybe if they have a few cocktails and it is late enough, she can use that as an excuse not to drive home."

"I'll tell Amanda. You better get going."

"Yeah. Thanks." Lee said as he headed out the door.

Lee stopped quickly at a convenience store and picked up some milk and had the cashier put it in a large paper bag. He then headed back to the house. As soon as he arrived, he quickly slipped in through the back door and put the bags down on the countertop. Judy looked up and said "Did you get it?"

"Yes, here. Sprinkle it generously on top and then mix it in." Judy did as instructed and finished just in time as a young man appeared and announced that he was instructed to bring the dishes up to Fedorov and his lover. He took the two trays and disappeared. At that point, Judy collapsed in a chair. Lee went over and rubbed her shoulders and said "It'll work. As long as he eats; it will work."

Lee helped Judy get the meals for the rest of the men ready and served them. After everyone was done eating, both Lee and Judy cleaned up and then decided that they would retire to their rooms.

Lee couldn't help but be nervous when he first entered the room that was his. He spent some time checking to see if he could find any kind of bugs and cameras while just pretending to check the room out. When nothing was immediately apparent, he turned on the tv and settled on the bed. He was watching the news but there was nothing really of interest so he soon turned it off and tried to sleep. It took several hours and a lot of tossing but he finally drifted into a light sleep. It seemed to be only a short time later that he was wide awake so he got up, took a shower, got dressed and went downstairs. It turned out that Judy couldn't sleep either. She pulled out a deck of cards and they spent the next 2 hours playing blackjack with each other.

As the sun began to rise, they found themselves both still wide awake and worried about Becca. As if on cue, Becca suddenly appeared in the kitchen. Judy rushed over to her and hugged her and asked "Are you okay child"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Fedorov passed out shortly after he got done eating. I refused to eat anything and he got mad and told me to sit in the corner and watch him eat so then he ate my meal too. The next thing I knew, he was fast asleep with his head in his plate. I didn't dare to leave the room though so I slept on the bed but I just woke up and he is still completely out of it."

Judy and Lee exchanged looks and then Lee quickly said "I'm sure he was probably exhausted from his trip. It will be good for him to sleep."

"I'll fix us some breakfast and then I think you were going to go skating tonight, weren't you?"

"I was" Becca said sadly. "Now that he is back, I'm sure he won't let me."

"Well let me worry about him. I think a fun night out is exactly what you need." Judy said.

Judy whipped up some pancakes and sausage and soon had plates down on the table for everyone. Lee reluctantly found himself having to eat breakfast again while Becca talked about Amanda.

"She sounds lovely" Judy said as Becca told her how she met her and then offered to teach her to skate.

"She is very nice. I haven't had many friends, well except you of course. It was nice to meet someone there who seemed as lonely as I was."

"Well I'm glad you get to see her tonight. Why don't you run upstairs and find an outfit for tonight and bring it downstairs so you won't wake him up later, okay?"

"Yeah, that sounds like a good plan." Becca said as she finished what was on her plate.

As she disappeared, Judy looked at Lee with a scorning look and said "You really don't eat breakfast, do you?"

"No, I really don't."

Judy sighed and took the plate from him and ate the rest of Lee's meal. In between bites she asked "So if he had the entire batch of that drug, what did that do? Will it kill him or cause a medical problem?"

"No, he will be fine but I doubt he is going to be functional at all today."

"I'll tell the men when they come down that Becca said he wasn't feeling good and wanted to rest today."

"That's a good idea. It will at least keep him from interfering with Becca going skating later."

They suddenly heard noises outside the kitchen and knew that the men were arriving for their breakfasts. Judy quickly began making scrambled eggs and bacon for the group. As she cooked, she could hear them talking.

"Yeah, that had to have the quietest night ever. Usually when he returns, the whole floor gets to hear what is going on but there was almost complete silence last night. Do you think he is okay? Should we have checked on him?" One of the men asked.

Judy had come over to the table to pour coffees for everyone and said "If you are taking about Fedorov; apparently he is under the weather. Becca said he fell asleep right after dinner last night and isn't feeling well so he intends to stay in bed today."

"Well that explains it" One of the men proclaimed. "Knowing Aleksandr, he probably had some wild times while on the road and exhausted himself." The men all laughed at the thought of it. Lee stole a glance at Judy and could tell she was getting upset but managed to keep herself in control. She finally cleared her throat to remind them that they were still in the room and the men immediately sobered and all stared into their coffee cups. Judy motioned to Lee to follow her back into the kitchen and began slamming the pans around as she as she finished cooking their breakfast. Lee put his hand on her arm and gave her a knowing look. She nodded and realized she needed to calm down so she did. Soon she had their meal on the table for them. The men devoured it quickly to escape the glare that Judy was giving to them and then hurried off to their posts around the house. Lee helped Judy clean up and asked "Are you afraid they will tell Fedorov on you?"

"Nah, not really. They are a little scared of me since I was here first. They think I have more power than I do and I make sure I keep convincing them of it." Judy chuckled as she thought about them all scurrying off. Lee shook his head and then laughed too. They kept busy for the day doing daily routines and Lee kept an ear out for any talk about Fedorov. By the time Becca was ready to leave for the rink; Fedorov still had not surfaced. Becca told Judy and Lee that he was still passed out sleeping.

"I'm sure he will be a bear tomorrow but at least I can go out tonight and have fun."

"Shall we go?" Lee asked Becca as he extended his arm to her. She smiled as she accepted it and they walked out the back door together. It would be up to Amanda now to pull this off. Lee hoped she could do it.

 **TBC**


	14. Chapter 14 - How Did You?

**Chapter 14 – How Did You?**

Every since Wednesday night, Amanda couldn't stop thinking about Becca. She seemed like such a lost soul and she knew that if it was her daughter, she would want someone to save her. Billy had confirmed a little of what Amanda already guessed; Becca appeared to be trapped by Fedorov and he was using her sexually. It really made Amanda upset to think about it but she also became determined that she would help her out of this situation. She wondered what had brought her to this point in her life and what hold Fedorov had on her. Was he really that powerful? Amanda didn't care; she knew she needed to save this child and somehow she would do it. That meant she needed to meet her at the skating rink and continue to gain her trust. Billy had suggested pretending she was too tired to drive in hopes that Becca would invite her back to Fedorov's house. He explained Lee's plans to her and Amanda agreed to try to make them work.

Amanda arrived at the rink and watched Lee walking inside with Becca. It was perfect timing. She checked her makeup one more time and then headed inside. Becca was just picking out her skates and when she saw Amanda, she broke into a smile and the two ladies greeted each other with a hug.

"I'm so glad you could make it." Becca said.

"I wouldn't have missed it for the world." Amanda said back.

They got their skates and then headed to a bench to put them on. Amanda noticed that Lee was sitting in the bar again. She couldn't help but wonder if he even knew how to skate.

After the last laces were tied, they walked arm and arm out onto the floor. Amanda made sure to seem wobbly but improved and Becca immediately praised her for doing so well. They spent the next hour skating side by side and then Amanda begged to go get a drink. They both sipped on Sodas and Amanda marveled at how good Becca was at skating.

"Do you want me to show you some of the fancy stuff?"

"There's more?" Amanda asked as she tried to look shocked.

"Oh sure, you can do tricks now. I can teach you to jump, spin, do figure 8's, and of course skate backwards. Do you want to give it a try?"

Amanda gulped and then said "Sure, I guess we could try."

The two ladies went back onto the floor and for the next hours, Becca helped Amanda learn to skate backwards. Since Amanda already knew how to, she had to be convincing that it was all new to her and that she wasn't very good at it. When they came off the floor, Amanda mentioned how tired she was from their workout.

"Are you going to be okay to drive home? How far do you have to go?"

"Boy I don't know. I have a 30 minute drive and I can barely keep my eyes open. I might have to see if there is a hotel nearby."

"Nonsense Amanda, we have plenty of room. I can't let you go home like this or stay in a hotel. Come back with me."

"It will be okay for me to be there?" Amanda asked.

"Of course. You will be my guest. We can share a room together and talk like teenagers half the night."

Amanda laughed with Becca and realized again how lonely she must be since it took no effort at all to score an invite to stay the night.

"I don't live too far away but we should probably get going since you will need to drive your car there. I'm sorry but there isn't a driveway you can park in. Aleksandr keeps all his cars in the garage and driveway but there is plenty of on street parking which is safe."

"That's fine. I don't have a great car. It was all I could afford." Amanda said. She watched Becca make a hand motion toward Lee and soon he got up and joined them.

"Amanda, this is one of the people who work at the house where I stay. His name is Lee. Lee, this is Amanda."

"Nice to meet you" They both said at the same time. Lee had noticed that Amanda's dress was not as tight fitting that night but it still did a great job showing off her body. He couldn't resist taking her hand and kissing it gently as he greeted her. Amanda found herself blushing.

Becca watched the exchange with interest and then said "Well let's go back to the house. Amanda is going to follow us. She's too tired to drive so she is going to stay with me tonight."

Lee nodded his approval and walked both ladies out to the parking lot and then suggested that Amanda follow them to the house. He helped Becca into the loaner car and then backed out and waited for Amanda to pull up behind him. He led the way back to Barnaby Woods. They were soon both parked in front of the house.

Becca got out of the car and walked over to Amanda as she got out of hers. "We have to be quiet so that we don't wake the staff. We will go in through the back door and I'll lead you to the room we'll stay in tonight, okay? Becca said quietly. "We can talk once we are safely inside the room"

"Sure." Amanda responded. They all made it into the house and headed up the stairs as quietly as they could. Amanda noticed that Lee stopped at the room at the top of the stairs and went inside. Becca kept walking and soon had located a room way in the back. She opened the door and stepped inside while turning on the lights. Amanda was shocked. The room looked like it was made for a Princess. It had a canopy bed in one corner and a daybed in the other. The room had been painted in bright pinks and matched the curtains and bedspreads. Amanda stood just inside the door with her mouth open looking at just how beautiful the whole room was.

"Why don't you take the bed and I'll take the smaller daybed." Becca said.

"Nonsense! That bed is huge. There is no reason why we can't share it." Amanda said as she looked at it. It was at least a King but it looked even bigger than that but Amanda wasn't sure if there was a larger size than a King. She couldn't help but wonder if it had been custom made.

"I think I might have a nightgown that will fit you." Becca said as she searched the dresser and pulled out two nightgowns for them.

"Is this your room?" Amanda asked.

"No, not really. It is the room I use when I hide."

"Hide? Hide from what?"

"From him. I know it is because I fight him that he hasn't lost interest yet but I hate giving in to him." Becca said in a fit of anger and then realized she had said too much.

"Becca, is he hurting you? You know there are laws against that."

"OH Amanda, he is above the laws. He makes sure you know that as soon as he stops being nice to you. He's untouchable."

The two ladies had changed into their nightgowns while they talked and climbed into bed.

"Are you ready to tell me how you got involved with him?" Amanda asked.

Becca sighed and said "I guess if we are going to be friends, you have a right to know. I told you how my father and I were really close. Well as I got older, he was having a hard time letting me go. He wanted to dictate who I hung out with, who was allowed to be in our apartment, who I could date and what time I had to be home. I got tired of it so one night after we had a really bad argument, I left after he went to bed. I had packed my bag a week ago but hadn't gotten up the nerve to leave. He made me so angry that night that I felt it was the right time. I caught a cab to the bus station and hopped on the bus to take me out of town. I wasn't sure where I was going; I just wanted to get away from my father. I think the bus originally planned to go to New Jersey but it broke down just outside of Maryland and we ended up at a diner as we waited for it to be repaired. Since it was now early morning, everyone was starved. The Bus Company paid for each of us to get some breakfast. As I was sitting down to eat; this drop dead gorgeous looking man walked into the room. He looked right at me and we locked eyes. For that moment in time, I felt like the most special woman in the entire world. He approached my table and asked if he could join me. He soon had me laughing and it felt good to have the attention. When the bus was ready to go, he asked me to stay with him and I agreed.

It was really nice at first. He took me dancing and he showed me all the sites of DC at night. There were romantic dinners and he always made me feel special and he didn't push me to do anything I didn't want to. He had brought me to his home and given me a room near his and told me to make it my own. He insisted on me not being around the staff though and said that he would have meals brought to me and that I shouldn't hang out with them as they would spread lies about him and I might believe them. I trusted him and obeyed his wishes. He had been so good to me and I had craved for a man to care about me for a long time. I should have known there were other reasons but I was being too dazzled at that point. He was such a gentleman at that time. We would kiss a little and sometimes it would get a little heated but I would ask him to stop and he always did.

Then one night, we came home from a party. It had gone on forever and he seemed to know a lot of people there. He had drunk quite a bit and kept trying to get me to drink also but I'm not a big drinker. When he walked me upstairs, he didn't stop at my room; he pulled me to his. I asked him what he was doing and he informed me that my free ride was over and that it was time for me to begin earning my keep. I begged him not to rush me but he wouldn't hear of it. It was awful. It was my first time and he didn't care. Maybe he was too drunk to care but I think he is just a mean person. He used guilt on me. He said that I had been teasing him all along and that I knew why he had wanted me around and I had chosen to stay to take advantage of his generosity. He kept kissing me as he told me these things and kept telling me how much he cared about me and how we would be good together. I finally gave him and let him do what he wanted."

Becca wiped away some tears and Amanda got up and got her a tissue. She then gently urged Becca to continue. Becca took a deep breath and said "I was so ashamed afterward and knew that I could never go home. My father would never respect me now that I had given in to a man that I didn't even love. I told Aleksandr the next day that I needed to leave. That was when he informed me that none of his lovers ever left. He told me that he owned me and that I would do as he said or else I would find myself on a one way ticket to the bottom of the Potomac. I begged him to let me go. I promised I wouldn't tell anyone what had happened and he laughed and said that no one would believe someone like me anyway. Then he told me how he was actually a Russian Diplomat and explained that even if I went to the police, they couldn't touch him because he had immunity and couldn't be arrested for any crimes. He laughed an evil laugh like I had never heard before and left me alone the rest of the day. I cried the whole day and plotted my escape. When he got back, he gave me a picture of my Dad and Mom together on their last anniversary and told me that if I had any ideas of escaping, I might want to reconsider as he knew my dad. I asked him how and he informed me that he had gone to the apartment building the week before and met my Father. He told him how he really needed a place to stay so my father found him an apartment there to rent. As a thank you, he took my parents out for an expensive dinner and now stays in touch with him all the time. My father has no idea that the man he has become friends with is holding his daughter basically hostage."

Amanda handed Becca another tissue and after blowing her nose, she continued. "After that night, he was never nice anymore except when we are in public. It didn't matter what I wanted or what I said, he was going to do whatever he wanted. So of course I began fighting him. I think he enjoyed it better that way. I hate giving in to him but at the same time I know that the more I fight him, the longer he holds onto me. Thankfully he only stays in town for a few days and then leaves. After he left the first time, I went downstairs and met Judy. She's the head housekeeper and she has seen it all. She told me that I'm not alone because he has a whole house across the street of the ones he has finished with. I don't know what he intends to do with them but they are guarded and can't leave. None of us ever get to leave. He is a very sick man and none of us truly know why we are here. Judy is convinced that he has a plan for all those girls and that he is waiting for the right time. I know any day he will tire of me and I will be put over in that house also. I'm really not sure which life is worse."

Becca wiped away more tears and then said "Amanda, I shouldn't have brought you here. I put you at risk. I'm so sorry. We'll get you out of here before he wakes up and then you need to run away from here and never come back. I don't know what I was thinking that I could have a friend. I'm never going to be able to have a friend again."

"Becca, I am your friend and we are going to figure out how to get you out of this mess. It looks like you can come and go at times and no one stops you. Why do they let you leave at all?"

"Well I'm not really supposed to. Aleksandr's men don't watch me as closely as they are supposed to. Most of them like to drink and so they aren't really paying attention most of the time. Judy has me sneak out the back door because no one has ever guarded the back door. The skating rink is the first time I have been outside this house since I moved here."

"Oh, I see. Well I'm not going to walk away. We will figure out something. Let's get some sleep." Amanda said.

Becca turned out the light and both of the ladies pretended to sleep but neither of them managed to get much sleep that night. Amanda knew she needed to get this information to Lee and they needed to get Floyd and his wife someplace safe. Just the thought of what this poor child had gone through made Amanda very sad and it also made her very angry. How was it possible that this man could not be punished for forcing a woman to have sexual relations with him? It didn't make any sense. She needed to talk to Lee. She soon became exhausted thinking about it all and felt into a light sleep. Lee always said that you needed your sleep in order to do your work. He was right again and she knew it.

 **TBC**


	15. Chapter 15 - Just Another Headband

**Chapter 15 – Just Another Headband**

Unfortunately Becca's plan to sneak Amanda out before Fedorov got up didn't work out as she had hoped. Amanda knew that it was best that she had to meet Fedorov though because she was there to find out what she could for the agency. She was still absorbing all that Becca had told her about her situation but the important thing now was to figure out what Fedorov had planned for all those girls.

Fedorov had woken up around 3am with a splitting headache. He touched his forehead with the thought that Becca had tried to kill him but there was nothing sore on his head. He sat up slowly and turned on a light and saw that she was not with him. Almost immediately his bladder told him that he needed to get into the bathroom now. It felt like he was going to burst. He raced to the toilet and barely got himself unzipped before the dam let go. How long had he been out? As he continued to relieve himself; he tried to figure out what had happened the night before "Did she drug me?" It seemed to take forever for him to empty his entire bladder but he finally finished up and made his way back out to the bed. He still felt woozy and decided to sit down. His mind continued to race while he tried to come up with an explanation of what was going on. "She couldn't have drugged me. She wouldn't dare to do that because she knows I would kill her parents. I must have gotten some bad food or something." He had no idea that he had been asleep for more than 24 hours. He did feel like he was hungry though so he walked down the stairs to the kitchen and helped himself to a piece of leftover chicken that he found in the fridge. "Where was she?" he thought to himself again.

He checked out the main rooms downstairs but there was no sign of her. She was probably hiding in one of the bedrooms upstairs. He would have to deal with her in the morning.

Fedorov had gone back to bed but was wide awake by 7am. He quickly dressed and made his way downstairs. As he came into the kitchen, Becca was opening the back door and walking out with a beautiful woman.

"Where are you going?" Fedorov asked her. Becca froze and spun around like a deer caught in the headlights. Both Judy and Amanda could see the change in her.

"Hi Aleksandr. I'm just seeing Amanda out."

"Through the back door? And who is this Amanda? I don't think I have seen you before. Are you part of the new staff?"

"No, I'm a friend of Becca's." Amanda said.

"Oh really. I didn't know Becca had any friends. Fedorov said with a bit of a sneer. "I definitely didn't know she had anyone as beautiful as you as her friend. Please come in and join us for breakfast. I would love to know more about you."

"She can't stay" Becca blurted out. Fedorov took his gaze off Amanda long enough to glare at Becca. "Why don't we let Amanda decide that? Amanda, would you please stay and have breakfast with me? By the way, my name is Aleksandr Fedorov and I own this little dwelling. If you say no, you will highly insult me" He said with a grin but a tone that was clear he intended to get his way.

"Well how can I say no then?" Amanda asked as she watched Becca nearly explode out of her body. In some ways, Amanda wished that she had been honest with Becca so she would know that she knew what she was doing. She was afraid that if she had told her; Becca would have let it out somehow.

Fedorov pulled up two chairs and had Amanda sit down beside of him. "Judy dear, please make us some scrambled eggs and bacon. And Becca please go to our room. I will deal; I mean talk with you later. For now, I want to get acquainted with Amanda."

Becca glared at him for a moment but knew that Amanda would be safe for now so she bolted for the room. Why did she bring her here? She knew that it wasn't safe. She shouldn't have taken the chance.

Downstairs, Fedorov was doing what he could to find out more about this woman.

"So tell me all about yourself." He asked.

"What do you want to know?"

"Well you said your first name is Amanda. What is your last name?"

"Does that matter?" Amanda asked as she tried to come up with a name.

Fedorov laughed and said "A woman with spunk. I always loved spunk. No, I guess it doesn't matter. It does matter if you are married or not though."

"I was but I'm divorced." Amanda decided to stay with the truth this time.

"Divorced huh? Any kids?"

"No, we weren't married long enough." Now was the time to try to lie.

"Oh Good! What do you do for work?"

"I don't work. I get alimony payments from my ex. He was a very rich man so I don't need to work."

"Great! So no one would miss you. I mean if you were to go away on vacation with me, it wouldn't cause a problem at the office."

"No, not at all. But I've just met you so I wouldn't go away with you right now."

"Oh, a lady with some modesty I see. Well how about if we do this the right way and I take you out to dinner tonight?"

"I don't understand. I thought Becca was your girlfriend? She has become a friend to me so I don't want to cause any problem between the two of you."

"Oh no, there won't be any problem. Becca has become bored of me lately and I think she is ready to move on. Surely she told you that."

"No, she didn't talk about you."

"Oh, well that's good. In any case, I always like to leave my options open. It will do Becca good to have some competition. Will you accompany me to dinner tonight? I won't take no for an answer." He said with a smile but the look in his eyes said he was serious.

"In that case, I would love to join you for dinner."

"Good, can you be back here at 5pm?"

"Yes, that would be fine." Amanda agreed. "I should get going for now though. I need to change out of these clothes and do some things before tonight."

Fedorov helped Amanda up by holding her hand and helping her to rise and then he gently kissed her hand. "Until tonight, my love." He said.

Amanda headed to the back door while Fedorov stared after her. As she walked out the door, Lee was coming in from outside. Fedorov's men had made him go with them to wash all of Fedorov's cars. As they passed each other she said quietly "cafe by the agency" and kept walking.

It had just been loud enough for Lee to hear it but not for Fedorov to realize anything had been said. After she was gone, Fedorov headed upstairs to talk to Becca.

"Of course Mrs. Espositio I can go grocery shopping for you. No problem at all." Lee said in case anyone was still hanging around near the kitchen.

Judy quickly pulled a list off the counter and handed it to Lee. "I can cover for you for a couple of hours." She said.

"I won't need more than that to convince Amanda that she has to leave this case." Lee said quietly back.

He headed out to his car and raced to the little cafe by the Agency where he and Amanda liked to meet.

As soon as he arrived, he rushed in and found Amanda sitting in the back booth. They quickly ordered coffee and then Lee asked "Are you okay? I got stuck outside. I had no idea he was awake otherwise, I would have found a reason to go back inside."

"Yeah, I'm okay. He insisted that we go out to dinner tonight. He seems to want to upset Becca by taking me out. Lee, is it safe to go out with this man?"

"NO Amanda. You will not go out with him. I am pulling you from this case."

"Lee, you can't pull me from the case. I just got Becca to trust me. If you pull me, you will have no one there for her to talk to. Besides, maybe I can get Fedorov to tell me what his plans are."

"No, it is too dangerous Amanda. I can't let you do this. I can't protect you well enough. This man is very dangerous. Becca is not with him by choice."

"I know, she told me. Lee, does he get involved with these girls because he has a prostitution ring?"

"I haven't figured out a way to check on the other girls but it doesn't appear to be what he is up to. Fedorov is known for using woman to make a statement or to divert attention so he can do something more deadly. The women never survive and it leaves him room to start over again. Francine has been checking to see if she can figure out what he is up to this time but I don't think she has come up with anything."

"See, that is why you need me. If I can gain his trust, then maybe he will share some of it with me."

"And maybe he will throw you on his bed and force himself on you."

"Lee, that's awful. Besides, Becca said that he wined and dined her for awhile before he did anything to her. Maybe I only need this one night out with him. Can't you get Leatherneck to come up with a way for me to wear a wire again and then you can listen in and know if I was in trouble. Please tell him not to put it in my bra again though."

Lee looked at Amanda for a moment as the memory of the last wire she wore made him chuckle and he said "Yes, I will ask him not to put it in your bra. Are you really sure you are okay doing this Amanda?

"Yes Lee. I will be okay because I know you will be nearby. Well I should get home. Mother is going to be wondering where I have been and I'm going to have to use a sick animal excuse again. Gee, I wonder how many times she is going to buy that excuse?"

"Okay, what time are you meeting Fedorov?"

"He said to be there at 5pm."

"When you get there, go see Judy and she will slip you the wire. I'll try to have him put it in a piece of jewelry, okay?"

"Okay. Thanks Lee."

"Don't thank me. I was the one that got you into this mess. I just hope I can get you out of it safely."

"Oh I know you will." Amanda said with a smile.

Lee paid the tab and they got up and went to their cars.

As Amanda got into her car, Lee said "Be careful. This man is not like the others. He knows that he has diplomatic immunity and if he senses that you are not being honest with him, he will not hesitate to get rid of you."

"I know Lee. I'll be careful. Just get me that wire so you know what is going on, okay?"

"I'm on it." Lee said as Amanda drove off.

Lee headed back to the agency and soon found Leatherneck in the garage. After explaining the situation, Leatherneck smiled and said "I have just the thing. I was working on this just last week and I tested it out and it works fine. I knew eventually Mrs. King would need a new wire and since we know she can't be trusted with jewelry and how much she loves these, I thought this might work well."

Leatherneck pulled out a headband that had gold like tinsel decorations in it.

"Wow that is perfect for her. Where is the wire?"

"It's hidden inside the gold decorations. Unless someone sweeps for a wire, it is very hard to identify this as being one. Here try it out." Leatherneck gave Lee the ear piece and motioned for him to move to the other side of the garage. He then put the headband on top of his head and said "I hope you are taking good care of my car."

"Very funny Leatherneck!" Lee said as he crossed back to where he was. "Your car is just fine. That works perfectly."

"Anytime! I have to keep you both alive if I can."

"Gee, thanks. I'll be sure to remember that." Lee said as he headed out. He quickly went to the grocery store and purchased a few items so it would look like he had been shopping and then headed back to Barnaby Woods.

As he carried the bags into the kitchen, he found Judy involved in a conversation with Fedorov.

Fedorov looked up at the interruption and said "I hope we understand each other my dear Mrs. Espositio. I wouldn't want there to be any misunderstanding between us."

"No, no, I understand. I'll do as you requested." Judy responded.

Fedorov gave a curt nod to Lee and then turned on his heel and walked off. Lee watched him go and made sure he was really gone before turning back to Judy. By this time, she looked white as a sheet. He quickly ran to her and grabbed her by the arms and said "What did he say to you? Are you okay?"

"He is up to something Lee. Something with the girls in the house across the street. He intends to use your Amanda to make it happen. In the meantime, he isn't planning to release Becca. He's hoping that his involvement with Amanda will make her jealous so that she will stop fighting him so hard. He claims he wants this one to be his wife but that right now she is too hard headed and won't do anything he asks without fighting him."

"Why would he want Becca to be his wife?" Lee asked totally confused.

"From what he just told me, she has a cousin who works for a government agency. If he can wed her, than he would have access to know what the government is doing through her."

"He really thinks that her Cousin is going to share all kinds of Government secrets with her? It doesn't work that way."

"No? Well he is convinced that he can make it work that way. I guess she hasn't seen this cousin for several years so he is hoping that he can manipulate both of them."

"He's not even making any sense now. So you said he has plans for Amanda. Do you know what they are?"

"He intends to make her his Executive Administrator. She will be responsible for all the girls and he said they will soon have a purpose. He said that with such an evil grin. Lee, he scares me. He scares me really bad. None of us are safe."

"I know. I know." Lee said as he cradled Judy against his chest. "We just have to stay one step ahead of him. What was he requesting you to do?"

"He wants to make sure that I treat Amanda like gold and to make sure she is not given any information about what is going on here. He also wants me to prepare a room for her to use so she can stay here."

"Hopefully that means that at least for now, she is safe around him then." Lee said.

After a few minutes, things got awkward and Judy pulled out of Lee's embrace and went back to preparing dinner while Lee began putting the groceries away.

"Oh, I got something for Amanda to wear. I need you to slip this to her when she arrives, okay?"

"Sure. A Headband?" Judy said as she took it.

"It has a wire in it so I can hear what is being said."

"Oh, okay. It will look good on Amanda." Judy said as she went back to chopping onions.

Lee knew that anything Amanda wore looked good on her. This headband just had to look normal on her so no one questioned it. Without it, he had no way to know what was happening while she was with Fedorov.

 **TBC**


	16. Chapter 16 - The Date

**A/N: I truly am sorry to those who are reading this story as I post it. I have found myself struggling right now to deal with real life issues and so in proofreading my work, I keep finding errors that have needed correction and then of course I find myself rewriting parts of the story. I am trying really hard to finish this one up for you as this is not my style to make you wait. Thank you for waiting so patiently. I appreciate it.**

 **Chapter 16 – The Date**

Amanda had gone home so she could spend some time with her family before she had to leave again. Since it was Saturday, the boys had been at a friend's house for the morning and were just getting home when Amanda pulled in.

"Amanda dear. Thank Goodness you are home. Where have you been? You didn't call and I have been worried to death about you!" Dotty said as she saw Amanda come into the house.

"I'm sorry Mother. I stopped by one of my client's homes on my way home from the skating rink last night and their poor cat was having horrible hairballs. I sat with it for quite awhile and the next thing I knew, I had fallen sleep while holding its head. I didn't wake up until this morning and the poor thing had puked all over the place so I had to spend time cleaning up the mess and then I had to try to get some food into it along with hairball medicine and oh Mother, it is all so stressful."

"Amanda darling, not that I don't appreciate all the gory details but the next time, maybe you could just say you babysat a sick cat? Thanks dear." Dotty said as she turned back to washing the breakfast dishes.

"Yes Mother." Amanda said with a grin since her Mother couldn't see her face.

"Hey Fellas; how about if we go to the park and throw a football around for a few hours?" Amanda suggested.

"That would be great Mom!" They both exclaimed at once.

"Well go change and meet me down here in 10 minutes, okay?"

"Yes!" They said as they raced each other up the stairs.

"Mother, I'm going to go back out skating tonight."

"Amanda, I don't think you skated this much when you were a teenager. Are you sure you are not having an affair?"

"No Mother! I am definitely not having an affair. I'm just having a little fun."

"Just a little fun? You know your Father used to say "Dotty, let's have a little fun." Do you have any idea what the man considered to be fun?"

Amanda began smiling and said "Gosh I don't know Mother, could be anything with Daddy."

"His idea of having a little fun was to pull out the old Atlas and plot our dream vacation. He would tell me all the things we would see and do."

"That does sound like fun Mother."

"Amanda, in all the years that your Father was alive, how many times did we ever go away on vacation?"

"Well let's see, there was the trip to California."

"That was business. I went along but stayed almost the whole time in the hotel because he kept calling to say that he would be back any minute but by the time he would come back, he would be too tired to go anywhere."

"Okay, what about the time you went to Arizona?"

"Oh Amanda. You were too young to go with us. That was to go a funeral. There was nothing fun about that trip. You father was determined to go to his best friend's funeral. They had some sort of deal that they would leave money to each other in the event that either of them died."

"Oh, so Daddy got money?"

"Not exactly. Your father dragged me all the way out there and it turns out the guy was joking. It wasn't a funeral, it was his wedding. He had advertised it to all his family and friends that he had died and was being buried. Well his fiancé was so mad that she dumped him as soon as she knew and the rest of us almost killed him to make it true. Your father told him to forget about the deal after that and we came home."

"Oh Mother. I had no idea. Poor Daddy."

"Poor Me. I was the one who got dragged all the way to Arizona and I didn't even get to see The Grand Canyon. Can you imagine how embarrassing it is to tell people that you went there and didn't go to one of the top tourist spots?"

"So you and Daddy never went anywhere for fun?"

"No, not really. Your father's idea of fun was to plan it all out and then say that it costs too much money and put all those dreams back away. So darling if you are having fun and it isn't hurting anyone, then you have my blessing."

"Thanks Mother."

"Okay darling. Take the boys to the park before it rains."

"I heard it might rain, I'd better bring my umbrella." Amanda said as she and the boys headed out. Amanda and the boys spent a couple of hours in the park but luckily the rain held off and they got home without even a drop.

Since Amanda would be going to dinner, she told her family that she would grab a sandwich while she was at the rink. She went upstairs and put on a dress that was very conservative. She didn't want to give Fedorov any ideas.

As she was leaving, she gave the boys both a hug and a kiss. Phillip said "Mom, that dress makes you look old."

"Does it? Well that's probably because I am old."

"You aren't old Mom." Jamie defended her.

"Aww, thanks sweetheart. Now behave for your Grandmother and I'll see you in the morning."

"Bye Mommy" they both said as she left the house.

Amanda was a little nervous about this meeting with Fedorov but hopefully Lee had gotten the wire for her so he could hear what was being said. Things were a lot different since the she wore her first wire during the Delano case. She had learned a lot in just a few months and she was sure she could handle this as long as she knew that Lee was nearby.

She arrived at Fedorov's house and went around to the back. As she entered the kitchen, Judy looked up from the pot she was stirring on the stove. She pushed something into Amanda's hand and said "Dear, why don't you fix your makeup. It looks like your blush isn't quite blended."

Amanda quickly went into the bathroom off the kitchen and discovered the headband. That was certainly a lot better than a bra. She pushed it onto her head and adjusted it under her hair and then after double checking her make up, she came out of the bathroom to find Fedorov waiting for her.

"Amanda, what great timing. I believe my limo just pulled up to bring us to the restaurant too. Won't you please follow me?" Fedorov said as he went ahead of Amanda and led the way to the front door. There was a beautiful black limo sitting in front of the house. The limo driver opened the door and helped her inside and Fedorov climbed in after her.

He poured them both glasses of champagne and handed one to Amanda. "Let's toast to us and a beautiful evening."

"Alright." Amanda said.

"You look beautiful Even dressing conservatively, you have a stunning figure. Amanda how in the world did you husband let you get away?"

"Oh I don't know. After a short while, we realized we weren't in love and we had married for all the wrong reasons."

"Well he was a very stupid man. If I had you, I wouldn't let you get away at all."

"I'm flattered." Amanda said since she didn't really know what else to say.

They soon pulled up to the Restaurant and Fedorov guided Amanda inside. The staff immediately fell over themselves when they saw him and hurried to clear a table near the back. One of the men then escorted them to that table and told them that their waitress would be right there immediately.

As Fedorov was helping Amanda sit down, suddenly a young girl appeared out of nowhere with menus and a wine list. Amanda wasn't sure if she had ever seen restaurant staff hurry so much and she definitely sensed that they were scared of him.

"Good evening Sir; Madame. Can I bring you a bottle of wine to start your meal?" She asked.

"That would be nice. I don't need this menu, just bring my normal and Amanda will have the same. Thank you."

"I don't get to pick what I have for dinner?" Amanda asked.

"You will like my choice, I'm sure."

"Mr. Fedorov" Amanda started.

"You must call me Aleksandr." He answered.

"Mr. Fedorov, usually when you bring a lady on a date, you let her choose what she wants to eat. You don't even know me so how do you know I will like what you have chosen for me?"

Fedorov noticed that tone of Amanda's voice and realized that this was not one of the girls he was used to dealing with. This woman was more mature and more sure of herself which was why his plans for her were so perfect.

"Forgive me Amanda for assuming. I will call the waitress back and let you choice your own dinner." He waved his hand and the waitress almost immediately appeared. After looking at the menu, Amanda decided on the Prime Rib dinner. As the waitress waked away to place the order, Fedorov said "Please forgive me for my rudeness. I had thought you were more the seafood type person. I have ordered Haddock for myself and thought you would appreciate how well they prepare it here. I did not mean to offend you."

"Okay, but I think you could work on your manners. These people here seem terrified of you. That tells me that you have not been nice to them."

"ME NOT NICE?" Fedorov raised his voice and then saw that everyone was looking at him. He lowered his voice and said "Well I guess I do have a temper and once you lose it once, people tend not to let you forget. Again, I'm sorry Amanda. Let's just enjoy the evening together." Fedorov said.

"You would be surprised how much better things would go for you if you would be nicer. No one likes being afraid of others."

"You know, it is a shame that you are not a mother because you have a motherly way about you. Amanda, you are an amazing woman and I had more than one motive for taking you out tonight."

"Oh? Should I be concerned?" Amanda asked even though she already was.

"Oh not at all my love. Oh, here comes our food." Fedorov said just as the waitress placed their plates in front of them. After making sure they were all set, she left them alone.

They both began eating and Fedorov asked if her meal was satisfactory.

"It is very good. Thank you for asking." Amanda answered.

"Amanda, I think you and I could be excellent partners." Fedorov put up a hand to stop her as he could see by her reaction that she didn't understand his meaning. "Not that kind of partner though trust me, I would love to take you for a test ride. No, I have a business proposition for you and I won't take no for an answer."

"You really don't let people make up their own minds, do you?" Amanda ventured.

"No, I rarely have time to argue and in the end, I always get what I want."

"I see. So what is this business proposition?" Amanda asked.

"Amanda, I'm a very busy man. I have many dealings all over the country and find myself out of town a lot. I get lonely though so I am always on the lookout for a companion. When I find one, I spoil her and let her get comfortable until we both decide we have had enough. Most of these girls are lost souls though. They have run away from home or simply don't have a home. I can't just turn them away. Why that would be heartless; don't you agree?"

"I don't understand. You search out young girls who have left their families and convince them to be with you? Aren't there laws against that?"

"Oh no, it is always a mutual consent and the girls are of age. I do it all legally."

"I see. So what do you want with me? I'm not a young girl."

"No; but you are a very sensible woman and that is what I need. See, these girls need a firm hand and guidance and right now, they don't have that. Let's say that I need a Border Collie for my sheep."

"That is really a mean way of looking at it." Amanda chastised him.

"Oh, I don't mean anything mean by it. I'm just saying that they are lost like sheep without someone to tell them what to do and how to do it. That is where you come in. I want you to be my Border Collie. I will pay you well to guide these girls and help them. I have plans for them soon and I need someone who can keep them under control. You would be perfect for this because you are kind but have a motherly way about you so I know they would listen to you. We'll call you my Executive Administrator. Do you like that title better than Border Collie?"

"What are your plans for them? Are you helping them to find their way home?" Amanda asked while ignoring the sarcastic remark about her new title.

"Oh no, most of them have no desire to go home. No, I have big plans for them but I can't let that cat out of the bag yet, you understand."

"No, I really don't. How am I supposed to prepare them for whatever you want them to do if I don't know what you want them to do?"

"Oh Amanda, you are precious. Let me worry about that. Your job is more to nurture them and tend to their daily needs while making sure they stay safe inside the house that I have provided for them."

"Why do you keep them like caged rats in that house?" Amanda asked knowing that Lee was listening in.

"It is a huge house; nothing like a cage. They need a safe place since most have no where to go. I'm sure you will soon see that they don't mind that they are there. So when can you start?"

"I didn't say I would take the position."

"I didn't say you had a choice" Fedorov said with a smile.

"Wow, so you really just demand things of people and expect people to do whatever you tell them?"

"Amanda, I'm a very powerful man. I always get what I want. It isn't forever; I just need your help for a few days. Mrs. Espositio can set you up in a room in the main house but I'm getting a feeling you don't want to stay so I would ask that you arrive by 10am and leave after dinner each day. I think that would be sufficient and I will pay you very well for your services."

"Why only a few days?"

"Amanda, it is important for you not to question me. It is imperative that my plans go off without any issues so I can't let anyone know what they are. You will have to trust me."

"Trust you? I don't know you. Why should I trust you?"

"Because I told you to." Fedorov said and with that he picked up his glass of wine and began drinking it. He motioned for the waitress to come remove their empty plates. She quickly obliged and brought a dessert menu.

"Can I interest you in a dessert?" Fedorov asked Amanda.

"No, I seem to have lost my appetite." Amanda responded.

"Oh, please don't take offense Amanda. I love your spunk and I'm sorry that I'm not more tactful but I know you are perfect for helping me out. Please, just for a few days? You will enjoy the girls. They are all very sweet and innocent."

"What about Becca?" Amanda asked.

"What about her?"

"Will she be at this house too?"

"Oh no, Becca is very special to me. I'm not ready to let her go yet. In fact, I'm sure our special night out tonight has made the little pussycat jealous so that tonight should be a fun night."

Amanda was disgusted by the comment but her heart was broken watching his face show smug determination. This man was really sick and Becca was right in the middle of it all.

"Okay, well if you won't join me in dessert then I guess we might as well go." Fedorov threw down a hundred dollar bill and helped Amanda out of her chair. He held her arm as if afraid that she would run off and guided her out to the limo. They rode back to the house in silence but once they pulled up the curb Fedorov said "Amanda, this is a really good offer for you. I know money is tight for you and this could help out. We can help each other. Please agree to do it. It would make it easier on both of us."

Amanda was sure that she needed to do this for the agency so she had little choice. "Yes I will do it. On one condition though."

"What is that?" Fedorov asked.

"Please don't hurt Becca." Amanda said hoping to shield her friend.

"Oh I would never hurt Becca. I need her too much." Amanda wasn't sure what to make of that statement.

The limo driver helped her out of the car and Fedorov yelled after her as she walked to her car "remember; be here by 10am."

Amanda sighed and nodded and got into her car and drove away. The whole way home she found herself crying. Somehow they had to save Becca and she sure hoped that Lee had a plan.

 **TBC**


	17. Chapter 17 - Feeling Useless

**Chapter 17 – Feeling Useless**

It had been hard for Lee to listen in on the dinner date that Amanda had gone on with Fedorov. The way the man treated people and especially women was disgusting. Lee enjoyed women as much as the next man but he believed in treating them with respect as much as possible. This man was just a pig. He was used to getting what he wanted and he enjoyed making sure everyone knew that. Lee cringed when Amanda began challenging him but then realized that Fedorov was being amused by it and was not angry over it. Amanda definitely did have a way with people that most didn't. He was especially proud of her for standing up to picking out her own meal. What man makes that decision for someone else without even knowing what they like? It took all Lee had not to leave his car where he was listening in and go inside and punch the guy out.

Amanda did a good job trying to get him to tell her his plans but he wouldn't budge. He didn't trust her anymore than she trusted him. Her Agency tape lessons had helped her a little with how to try to get the information out of a suspect and she had learned well when you should back off. She definitely had improved since the Delano days. In the end, she didn't really learn anything new that Lee didn't already know but Fedorov had insisted that she was going to be established at the other house so maybe they could obtain information from the girls there. He realized that when Amanda asked about Becca that she didn't know that Fedorov intended to marry her. Maybe in the end that was just as well since he knew Amanda would take it hard that they couldn't just pull Becca out of harm's way. Becca might be the whole key to ending Fedorov's reign of madness so unfortunately they needed her to stay where she was. Lee just hoped that Fedorov didn't decide that she wasn't being loyal enough to him and decide to dispose of her. Lee would never be able to face Floyd if that happened.

Finally the date was over and Fedorov led Amanda out to the limo. He could tell that things were tense between the two of them. He followed the limo back to the house and saw the confrontation outside between the two of them. He breathed a sigh of relief once Amanda was in her car and driving away. He couldn't stop himself from following her. He wanted to make sure she made it home safely and he wanted to make sure no one else followed her back to her home. In the end as she turned onto Maplewood, he could see that no one had followed her and he waited until she was safely inside before heading back to the house on Barnaby Woods.

Once he arrived, Lee made his way to the backdoor and then quietly up the stairs to his room. He could hear raised voices as he got to the top of the stairs but he couldn't make out who they belonged to. As he considered trying to get closer to where they were coming from, he noticed one of Fedorov's men was standing just inside the hallway watching him. Lee nodded at him and went into his room. At this time, there really wasn't anything he could do. He hated feeling useless. Deep down, he knew that those voices were Fedorov and Becca but for him to try to stop whatever was going on, would mean blowing his cover and letting Fedorov escape. He could only hope that Becca would stay safe. Lee didn't even bother to undress. He just lied down on the bed and put the pillow over his head and tried to get some sleep. It took a long time but finally his exhausted body shut down and he was able to fall into a very light sleep.

 **TBC**


	18. Chapter 18 - A Bad Way

**Chapter 18 – A Bad Way**

After a very sleepless night, Lee got up, took a shower, dressed in different clothes and made his way downstairs. His heart stopped as he came into the kitchen area. Judy was standing over Becca while Becca held an ice pack to her face.

"Oh my God, are you okay?"

"Lee, calm down and keep your voice down." Judy said sternly. Lee rushed over to Becca and said "Let me see please" He checked her over but couldn't feel any broken bones. "There doesn't appear to be anything broken. Fedorov did this to you?"

"Yeah. I told him that I was angry at him for taking Amanda out and we got into a huge fight. The next thing I knew, he punched me really hard in the face and everything went black. I woke up a little bit ago and my head felt like it was ready to explode so I came down hoping to just grab some ice but Judy was already down here."

"Thank goodness I was child. I got some aspirin into her and put together a real ice pack so we could try to get some of the swelling down. I didn't think to check to see if anything was broken. Lee, we have to get her out of here."

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" Lee asked Judy as he motioned her out into the diningroom.

Judy followed and started to erupt on him but Lee held up his hand and said quietly so none of the men would hear him "Just listen a minute. He was angry last night because Amanda gave him a hard time too. It frustrated him that things didn't go as smoothly as he planned so Becca got to take the blunt of his frustration. But listen, if he truly intends to use her and needs to marry her in order to get that to all work out, I think he is going to be different to her now that he has hurt her. Let's see what happens today. If we remove her now, we have lost everything we have accomplished so far and this man continues to be free. Becca is the key to nailing him. Do you understand?"

Judy sighed and said "Yes, I understand. I just …"

"I know; me too." Lee said as he swiped his hand through his hair. "I heard them when I came back after the date last night. I was being watched though so I couldn't go to them. I don't like any of this either Judy but right now we don't have any other choice."

"Okay, well I'm going to go back and take care of her. Why don't you go out in the other room and pretend to clean and see if you can tell what is going on."

"Sounds good. Oh and Amanda should be back to take over her new position at 10am."

"Did she find out anything?"

"No, but maybe she will once she is in the other house."

Judy nodded and headed back out to the kitchen while Lee grabbed some cleaning supplies and went out to clean the foyer and livingroom. He noticed right away that Fedorov's men seemed to be nervous and very quiet. Lee was sure that word had gotten around that he had beat Becca up. Suddenly the mood got even more tense as Fedorov made his way down the stairs. Lee hurried to the kitchen before Fedorov saw him and motioned to Judy that he was on the way. Becca's eyes took on a panic and Judy whispered "We are right here child. He won't hurt you while we are here."

Fedorov walked into the room and saw Becca and immediately looked at Judy and Lee.

"Becca, there you are! I have been so worried about you. When you fell out of bed last night, I had no idea your face had connected with my statue that was on the floor. Are you okay?"

Lee was sure that Fedorov didn't actually think they believed him but obviously he was trying to make up a cover story anyway.

"You know if you weren't such an animal in bed, you wouldn't have fallen like that. I enjoy the rough stuff honey but truly we need to calm it down before you get hurt." Fedorov had now gone over to Becca and was massaging her shoulders to make sure that she understood that he was in control but he made sure that he wasn't physically hurting her. However Judy noticed that she was fighting back tears which meant that emotionally he was destroying her and it broke Judy's heart because she could do nothing to stop him at that moment.

"Sweetie, why don't you go up to our room and get some rest. I am heading out of town later today and won't be around for a day or two. I will have some nice surprises for you when I return so hopefully your face will look better by then. Go on with you. I'll leave you be while you rest." Fedorov said.

Becca looked at Judy and she nodded that she should go so Becca quickly got out of her chair and hurried up the stairs. As she went, Fedorov followed her out and yelled up after her "I can't wait to share all my exciting news with you when I return. I'm sure you will be as excited with my plans as I am. Rest well my love."

Judy cringed at his remarks but knew Lee had been right. Fedorov still needed Becca so he would not hurt her further at this time. She did wonder why he was going out of town again so soon after just getting back.

Fedorov came back into the kitchen and said to Judy "Amanda will be here at 10am. I want you to arrange for one of the men to bring her over to the house and show her around and introduce her to the girls. She is not to leave the house without someone with her, is that understood? I want to make sure she doesn't suddenly decide to try to sneak any of the girls out."

"Yes, I will get Jerry to take her over and wait for her there during the day. Is there anything else I need to instruct her to do?" Judy asked.

"Yes, I want her to make sure the girls are all cleaned up. I want to make sure they all look suitable for public and have Amanda check on each of their wardrobes. If any of them don't have a nice party dress, I need Amanda to get their size and go out personally and get one for them. I have special plans for them when I get back and I need them all to look stunning. Under no circumstances are any of the girls to leave the house to go shopping with her. You can give Amanda money from petty cash and she can buy the dresses. She can also pick up any makeup they need and anything else. I want them to all look like they will be in a beauty pageant. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir. I'll tell her."

"Good, now I have to get going. I want you to leave Becca alone. She had a rough night and she needs her rest. Make sure a plate gets sent up for her lunch and dinner but otherwise, no one is to disturb her."

With a flip of his body, Fedorov turned around and headed back out toward the front door. Judy looked at Lee after he was gone and asked "What is that man up to?"

"I don't know but I sure hope Amanda can help figure it out. Whatever party this man intends for these girls is bound to end in a bad way. A very bad way." Lee said with a note of despair in his voice.

 **TBC**


	19. Chapter 19 - 21 Girls

**Chapter 19 – 21 Girls**

Amanda had been tired as she drove that night. It was exhausting sparring with that man and she still was in shock that he seemed to be getting away with so much but was untouchable.

As she pulled into her driveway, she was glad to see that her family was all in bed. She quickly let herself in, checked to make sure everything was locked up and then headed upstairs. The first order of business was to take a shower because he had really made her feel so dirty. Afterward, she laid down on her bed and thought about all that had taken place at dinner. She had faced him head on and challenged him over and over and he had allowed it. Had he just been amused with her spunk or was he more tolerant of her because she was older than the girls he was used to. Her mind then went to Becca and she hoped she was okay. Amanda was glad Lee was there so he could keep an eye on her. Sleep finally found her and she drifted off into a troubled slumber.

The next morning she got up and found her Mother making French toast for everyone. Since it was Sunday, the boys had slept in and were just making their way down the stairs. Dotty put the food on the table and soon everyone had their plates piled high with toast smothered in syrup.

"What are the plans today?" Dotty asked.

"I'm sorry Mother but I just acquired a new client so my time is going to be limited for a few days."

"Oh dear, that's good news though we miss not having you around. Do I dare ask what this client has?"

"Snakes. Lots of snakes."

"What?! Amanda dear, do you even know how to take care of snakes?"

"He's going to show me. I'm going over there today so he can begin teaching me what I have to do."

"Oh darling, I'm not sure this is the best job for you. Couldn't you find another puking cat or something?"

"No Mother, right now it is snakes."

"That is so cool Mom!" Phillip said.

"Mommy? Will the snakes try to eat you?" Jamie asked.

"They might but I will have protection so I should be safe." Amanda answered as she thought about how she hoped that Lee could keep her safe from the real snake.

They finished breakfast and Amanda washed the dishes and then told her Mother that she needed to get going. The boys had already run over to Johnny's house to play for the day.

"What are you going to do Mother to keep busy?"

"Oh, I have that new romance book I'm reading. I'm dying to see what dangers lurk in their desert hideaway."

Amanda chuckled and kissed her Mother and headed back to Barnaby Woods.

She pulled her car up to the usual spot behind the car that Lee was driving and made her way to the back entrance. Judy was in the kitchen when she entered.

"Hi Amanda. Fedorov told me you were coming today. Jerry has been waiting for you to escort you over to the house. He will show you around and introduce you to the girls. I just want to remind you that the girls have agreed not to leave the house so please don't do anything to break that rule." Judy said.

"Oh no, I know that they all stay there."

Judy quickly explained to Amanda what Fedorov wanted her to do and asked her if there were any questions.

"No, I understand. Okay, I'm ready Jerry."

Jerry held out his hand and forced Amanda to walk hand in hand over to the house with him. He nodded to the security guard in the front of the building and then brought her to the front door where he swiped a badge through a security lock and the door opened. Amanda found herself in a hallway that had another large door with no windows blocking entrance to the house. Jerry swiped his badge again and they were inside.

The main house where Fedorov lived was stunning and elegant. This house was a mini version of that. She couldn't stop looking at the gold plated ceilings and all the expensive artwork on the walls. Someone had spared no expense when creating this house. Jerry rang a bell and soon a lot of young girls began appearing on the 2nd floor balcony. Jerry waited for them all to appear and then said "Hi ladies. I brought you a new friend. This is Amanda and she is here to help you with anything you need. She's going to help you get ready for a big event that Fedorov has planned for all of you. Please listen to what she says and show her same respect that you would Fedorov. Okay?"

"Sure, okay, whatever." Were mostly the replies Amanda heard. She had taken the time to count them while Jerry was talking and there were 21 girls above her head. After Jerry was done talking, they all turned to look at Amanda.

"Hi everyone. It looks like you are all pretty much just waking up so why don't you take your showers and then meet me in the kitchen for some breakfast and we can chat."

The girls all groaned and headed to prepare for showers. Jerry smiled and said "This is a little early for most of them to be up but it will do them good to be on a routine. I'm going to step outside so you have privacy with them but I will be right out in the front if you need me or need to leave the house, okay?""

"Thanks Jerry." Amanda said. Jerry had let go of Amanda's hand as they had entered the house but now he picked it up again and rubbed his fingers through hers. "Maybe later, we can go get drinks." He said.

"Jerry, I barely know you and I have work to do, okay?"

Jerry reluctantly let go of her hand but then said quietly. "You are a beautiful woman and I'll bet you are an animal in bed."

Amanda pretended not to hear him as she turned and headed into the kitchen and discovered an older lady cooking food. "Hi" She said to her.

The girl didn't look up so Amanda said "hi" again. When she didn't look up again, Amanda touched her on the arm and the woman jumped.

"She can't hear" one of the girls who had come down the stairs with a towel in her hair said. "She's totally deaf. I think Fedorov purposely hired her so that we couldn't talk to her and try to convince her to help us escape."

The cook had gone back to what she was doing and Amanda asked "How long have you been here?"

"I'm Nadine and I have been here just over a year. The only one who has been here longer is Vera. Are you here to get us out or what?"

"No, I'm here to make things better though." Amanda answered carefully.

"Well for most of us, that would be getting us out of here. When we make it known that we are tired of being here, we suddenly get slipped things in our food that give us hallucinations and then notes appear in our rooms warning us to be careful about what we say verbally. Fedorov wants us all to pretend that we love it here and don't ever want to leave."

"I see. How did you get involved with him if you don't mind me asking?"

"I was out with my boyfriend and he proposed to me. I accepted. It should have been the best moment of my life so we rushed back to tell my Dad. My mom died of cancer a few years back and Dad still struggled with his demons after her death. Well I guess he wasn't ready to lose his baby girl too so he shot my boyfriend; right in front of me. When I realized he was dead, I started to run. I didn't know where I was going but I knew I needed to get away and so I ran for over 30 minutes. I finally collapsed in a heap on a bus stop bench and was crying hysterically. Most people walked by but suddenly this man came out of nowhere and wrapped his arms around me and told me that everything was going to be okay. After I had cried it all out, he invited me to come with him. He had been so kind and I didn't have anywhere else to go so I agreed. He helped me into his limo and then brought me here. I couldn't believe that he had so much money. I had been poor all my life and suddenly he was taking me to fancy balls and expensive restaurants and seemed to spare no expense on my behalf. When he decided to take our relationship to the next level, I thought I was in love so I agreed to sleep with him. Little did I know that he gets bored easily with those who give in too easily. After only 1 night, he was done with me. I found myself being moved here. Vera had been alone for a few weeks so she was excited to see me and we became fast friends."

"How did he find Vera?"

"Vera was a prostitute. She was a runaway and she tried to waitress for awhile but it didn't pay the rent so she began turning tricks. He showed up one night and asked her to spend the night with him. She didn't know that he wouldn't let her go afterward and since she hadn't gotten involved with a John, no one was looking for her when she didn't show up on her corner the next night. He kept her a bit longer because after she realized she was being kidnapped, she began fighting him. He likes it when the girl fights him. A few black eyes later and the fight was gone out of her though. I think as time has gone on, he has become less violent and just uses his strength to get what he wants as we don't see a lot of bruises anymore but everyone who comes here looks like they have lost a part of themselves. He sucks out your soul and makes you think you are worthless and that no one will want you. He preys on the girls who have runaway or who have no home left for one reason or another."

"Do you know what he has planned for you? Why does he keep all of you over here?"

"No one is sure. We talk about it now and then but we haven't figured it out and since the cook can't hear us, she is of no use to us. There are rumors though. When Sara came, she talked about how a year or so ago, he had managed to create a harem of college girls. He rented a house where they would all meet and have orgies while the alcohol flowed freely and he supplied weed to smoke. I guess it went on for several months until the tragedy."

"What tragedy?"

"There were apparently 20 girls involved and one night, they all slit their wrists at once and lied down to die. None of them tried to save themselves and the authorities ruled it a mass suicide. Afterward Fedorov put out a statement which gave him credit for convincing the girls to do as he wished and promised that he could do it to others so the Government better step down because he wanted control and he would force them to give it to him. Of course everyone called him a nut and ignored him. But now he has 21 of us and we are all getting nervous as to what he has in mind."

"Do you know how he convinced the others to kill themselves?"

"When Fedorov tells you to do something, no one usually gets away with disobeying. They might have been drugged but I personally believe he scared them into doing it."

Amanda couldn't help but shudder. She remembered how he had acted last night. He definitely expected people to just obey him.

The other girls had begun to show up so Nadine became silent. After they all had breakfast, Amanda went upstairs to visit with each girl alone. Along with Nadine, Vera and Sara, the others girls were Candy, Peg, Sam, Trixie, Rhoda, Nancy, Alexis, Tammy, Lynn, Roxie, Kelly, Bonny, Julie, Carol, Maddy, Amy, Sherrie, and Lisa.

Amanda soon discovered that Nancy, Alexis, Tammy and Roxie were very shy and hardly came out of their rooms. They barely had any clothes to wear so she quickly took their measurements because they would definitely each need a dress. She couldn't get any of them to open up to her at all.

When she went to Nadine's room, she discovered that Nadine had decided she had said too much so she was not willing to share anything more. Since Nadine had been wined and dined by Fedorov, she had very pretty clothes that he had spoiled her with. Amanda found this to be the case with Vera also. Vera didn't offer any of the information that Amanda had learned from Nadine but she did mention that she had become good friends with one of the night security guards. The way it was said, Amanda knew that the word "friends" had a different meaning than how most would interpret it. "Vera, do you think he can help you? Is that why you are 'friends' with him?"

"Well he is sort of cute too but yes, I'm hoping that if he gets attached to me then I can convince him to sneak me out one night. You won't tell on me, will you?"

"Of course not. Just be careful. I don't think you can really trust any of the security men who work for Fedorov."

"I'll be careful." Vera said and then went back to watching the tv.

Amanda went to Sara's room next. "Hi Sara. Can I come in?"

"Sure, I was just doing my nails."

"I'm just going to take a look at your clothes if that is okay?"

"Sure, knock your socks off." Sara responded.

Amanda was amazed at how nice Sara's clothes were. It didn't seem like she had just picked up and run away like many of the others.

"Sara? Can we talk?"

"Sure; what about?"

"Do you mind telling me how you ended up here?"

"Well that is sort of a long story. Unlike the others, I knew Fedorov before I ended up here."

"You did? How?"

"My father knew him. My father used to work at a local casino and Fedorov would come in often to connect with his people. He would give big tips to my father all the time and Daddy never turned them down even though company policy said he wasn't supposed to take them. They soon had a business friendship and Fedorov would take all of us out to fine restaurants now and then. I think Daddy really liked him at that time and would often talk about what a great man he was. Then one day Fedorov came to him and told him that he needed a favor. He needed my father to help him rig the games so that someone would win a lot at first and then suddenly begin losing and lose a lot. My father told him that he couldn't do that but Fedorov began telling him how he owed him for all the nice things he had done and since he had accepted gifts which was against the casino rules, Fedorov would tell the owners and get Daddy fired. In the end Daddy did as he was told but he hated himself for it. The man was a doctor and Fedorov was able to make him lose a lot of money and it forced the man to let Fedorov have access to these houses. The man's name was Sammy and when Dad heard that he suddenly had died, he knew that Fedorov was responsible. My father couldn't handle the guilt so he killed himself."

"How did you end up here though?" Amanda asked.

"I wanted to nail him. He ultimately killed my father and I wanted to make him pay. I didn't understand how powerful of a man he is though so I flirted with him and came onto him so that he would begin dating me. Since he already knew me, he didn't waste much time and soon he not only forced me into bed with him but then threw me away after degrading me in front of everyone else and sent me here. I have been trying to get out every since."

"Nadine mentioned that you have knowledge of the 20 college girls who killed themselves?"

"Oh yes, one of them was my best friend."

"Do you know how he did it?"

"The drugs were always given freely during his parties along with alcohol. I think he made sure he mixed the right cocktail so they were all out of it. My guess is that none of them had a clue what they were doing. My friend was so smart but she loved the party scene and everything he did was free for them. She was enjoying the life he gave to her."

"Do you think that is his plan now? To kill you all?"

"I'm not sure. I doubt he will do the same thing again. I have a fear that this time he intended for something much bigger and to make more of an impact since so many ignored him before."

"Does he know that your best friend was involved?"

"No, not at all. Amanda? Can I ask you a question now?"

"Sure, what do you want to know?"

Why are you here? Somehow I get a feeling it is for more than just helping us get ready for whatever Fedorov has planned."

"Okay, if I tell you, you can't tell the others." Amanda said quietly.

"I don't do much with the others. They mostly bore me."

"I'm here to find out information so we can try to stop him. I work for a Government Agency and they have known about him for years but didn't realize that he had all of you being held hostage until recently."

"So the Feds are finally on this? It is about time. I'll try to help anyway I can. I need to revenge my Daddy."

"Well I have to go see the other girls now and get dresses for everyone. We'll talk later, okay? Remember, not a word to anyone. If you blow my cover, we are all as good as dead and no one will be able to save us."

"Your secret is safe with me Amanda." Sara said as she made the motion to cross her heart. Amanda gave her a quick hug and then rushed out of the room.

Most of the rest of the girls were too scared to talk much and all of them needed dresses. Amanda decided that having Sara in her confidence was the best she was going to have right now so she didn't push any of the others. After making a list, she left them all to enjoy their afternoon the best they could.

The time had come to deal with Jerry again. Amanda wasn't sure whether Fedorov or Jerry made her skin crawl more.

 **TBC**


	20. Chapter 20-The 1 Dress Amanda Didn't Buy

**Chapter 20 – The 1 Dress Amanda Didn't Buy**

As Amanda descended the staircase, Jerry suddenly appeared as if he could read her mind.

"Are you ready to go Amanda?"

"Yes, I am." She said. As he reached to take her hand, she pretended that she had an itch and needed to scratch it. Jerry shrugged and put his hand on the small of her back to guide her instead.

As they began to make their way back to the main house, Amanda decided that she needed to address this issue.

"Jerry, you are a very nice man but I want to let you know that I'm not interested in you. I am newly divorced and not looking for any kind of relationship right now. So as flattering as it is that you are interested in me, I just wanted to let you know that I'm not ready for any of this, okay?"

"Oh Amanda, you are one of those ladies who like playing hard to get, aren't you?"

"No Jerry. I'm really not but I am serious and if you don't take your hands off me, I will have no choice but to tell Fedorov."

Jerry immediately removed his hands from Amanda. She had no idea it would work but she knew she had to try. Dealing with Fedorov was bad enough; she didn't need Jerry to complicate things further. Not another word was spoken as they made their way back to the front door of the big house and Jerry motioned for Amanda to go in front of him. He made sure he didn't touch her again.

After arriving inside, Amanda made her way to the kitchen where she found Judy. At Judy's questioning look, Amanda made a motion for "not now" since she wasn't sure whose ears might be listening. She really needed to find Lee though.

"Well I compiled a list of what I need to buy for the girls. You know, there is quite a bit for me to buy and handle. Do you think that nice helper you have would be willing to go with me and give me a hand?" Amanda asked.

"I don't need him this afternoon so I'm sure I can arrange that." Judy replied. In no time, Judy had summoned Lee out of the garage where he was helping polish the cars and sent them on their way. They decided to take Lee's car so he could drive.

As soon as they were away from the area and Lee made sure they weren't being followed, Amanda told him about what Nadine and Sara had shared with her and how she had taken Sara into her confidence.

"Amanda, do you think that was wise? She could decide to tell one of the other girls and blow the whole thing."

"Lee, I believe in her. She's not going to do that. Besides, I need help in figuring out what is going on. Sara knows Fedorov from her childhood. She has the best chances of helping me."

Lee ran his hand through his hair and said "Yeah, I guess you are right. We'll try it your way but I don't like it. So we still don't know what he is up to other than he intends to send the girls to a fancy party somewhere. I wonder where?"

"Can you check with the Agency and see if anything is coming up in the next couple of days. It sounds like he intends to do this soon."

"Yeah, I'll call Billy while we are out." Lee said and then filled Amanda in on what he knew about Sammy Dixon. "I will check with Francine to see if she found out anything too. She was checking on his story."

Amanda shook her head as Lee finished. "That poor man. It definitely sounds like Fedorov had control of him and killed him. I just don't understand why we give these people diplomatic immunity if they get away with stuff like this."

"I know. It seems so unfair at times. We do it though so we can have the same courtesy in their country. Unfortunately not everyone plays by the rules though."

"I guess not." Amanda said and then became silent.

"Are you okay?" Lee asked after a few minutes.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Lee, how is Becca?"

Lee sighed and swiped his hand through his hair again as he told Amanda what had happened. He had thought about keeping it from her but it was important that she truly understand how dangerous this man was.

"Poor Becca."

"I know. When this case is over, the agency will help her by providing a therapist to try to get her through all of this. I know Floyd will be there for her too."

"I hope it helps." Amanda said as Lee pulled into the Shopping Mall.

"Why don't you get started and I will go call the Agency."

"Ok, I'll be in that big clothing store right over there." Amanda said as she pointed to a fancy dress shop. Lee watched her walk in and then headed for a phone booth in the corner. There was no one around so he called the Agency and got Billy on the first ring.

"Billy, we have big trouble but we still aren't completely sure of what it is." Lee quickly filled him in all the details that both he and Amanda had learned during the last couple of days and then asked "Do you know of any big parties nearby that are happening in the next couple of days?"

"Not off hand but I'll have Francine check it out."

"Hi Lee. I did that research on Sammy Dixon. It sounds like you have figured most of it out on your own. Sammy was 64, graduated with his Masters in Medicine Science from Cornell University in 1945, he married a young woman in 1940 and they had 3 children but his wife died while giving birth to the third one right after his graduation. I don't he truly ever got over her death but he did open up a medical practice and had a lot of clients but but Research soon caught his eye and he shifted careers in 1950 when he left his medical practice to go into Research. His specialty was the brain. He was determined that mental illness could be cured if he could figure out a way to manipulate the brain. Unfortunately his peers thought he was wrong and it caused him a lot of stress so he liked to have a few drinks while gambling to unwind. My sources confirm that he did meet Fedorov due to that gambling issue and that shortly afterward he put Fedorov's name on all his assets including his bank accounts and his properties. A few months later a call came in that a man was found in a car off the road. When the police arrived, they identified the man as Dixon but the autopsy came back with no definite determination of death. In the end, they ruled the death as unknown and still under investigation. It seems that Fedorov jumped in and claimed the body and said he would take care of all the arrangements. He had Dixon buried in a cemetery in Maryland and it appears he never told any of his children that their Father had died. The children had all moved away and since Dixon was always so busy in his research lab, he rarely spent time with them or talked to them on the phone. I didn't want to stir anything up until the case is over so I didn't tell them that their Father is dead. I did however talk to Matt who was the last one to see his Father alive and he mentioned that he personally had met Fedorov and had a feeling he was up to no good. He warned his Father about it and was told it was none of his business so he dropped it. It appears that the kids were brought up by a Nanny after their Mother's death and that Dixon really had little to do with them."

"So it doesn't look like any of them had a hand in his death?" Lee asked.

"I don't think so. They all live quite a distance away so it would have been hard for them to come back, kill him and then gone home and erase any record that they had been nearby."

"Okay. I'm guessing that Dixon had access to all kinds of drugs though in his research lab?"

"Of course" Francine answered.

"Is there any way to find out if any of them were missing at the time of his death?"

"Doubtful. They don't keep track of that sort of thing since he would be using drugs on his test subjects most of the day."

"Okay. Well keep checking on this party angle. We need to know where Fedorov intends to use these girls. I just feel that it is something big."

"I'm on it." Francine said as they all said goodbyes.

Lee quickly caught up with Amanda and helped her carry out all the dress purchases she had made. After storing them all in the car, they drove back to Barnaby Woods. As Lee pulled the car over in his normal parking spot, he found himself staring at the scene before him. He quickly looked at Amanda and could see she was very visibly upset at the sight.

Sitting in the driveway was Fedorov's Limo. A few of the men were unloading the car and one man was carrying a very expensive Wedding Dress. Lee reached over and softly squeezed Amanda's hand for comfort. . He told Amanda quietly "Fedorov intends to marry Becca. Apparently he doesn't intend to wait."

"Lee? Do you think the big party could be for him? Is he planning some big Wedding Reception party?" Amanda asked as she looked back at the scene in front of them.

"You might be onto something. He could bypass all the normal wedding rituals, force Becca to marry him, and throw a big party. But why? What is this man up to?" Lee asked in a frustrated voice as Amanda continued to stare at the dress as the man carried it into the house.

 **TBC**


	21. Chapter 21 - Sexy Redhead

**Chapter 21 – Sexy Redhead**

"We should probably go inside." Lee said as he tried to get Amanda's focus off the scene before them.

"Yeah." Amanda answered. They got out of the car and went around back and snuck into the kitchen. Judy looked up when she saw them. "Did you get the dresses?"

"Yeah, they are out in the car but we decided we needed to wait until Fedorov's men were done unloading his car."

"Fedorov is back?" Judy asked.

"I sure am! Did you miss me?" Fedorov answered as he swaggered into the room.

"Welcome back Sir" the three said at once.

"Well don't you all look so gloomy. Amanda, I trust you took care of my girls?"

"Yes sir. The dresses are out in the car. Lee was just going to go get them for me." Amanda answered while Lee headed out.

"Good Good. I need you to spend some time with me tomorrow. I have things to go over with you."

"You don't want me to spend time with the girls and make sure they are all set for the party?"

"There will be time for that later. I need help with organizing the party and since you are my Executive Assistant, I need your help."

"Oh, I see." Amanda said as Lee walked in with the many bags from the shopping spree.

"Judy have Jerry deliver those bags over there when he can please." Fedorov said.

"I bought each one with a certain girl in mind so I really think I should be the one who delivers them to the girls." Amanda said in hopes of getting out of planning Fedorov's Wedding.

"Nonsense, Jerry will deliver them to the house and put them in the closet in the kitchen. Tomorrow I need you. If there is time in the afternoon, you can hand deliver them."

Amanda sighed and gave in as she realized there was no chance of winning this one.

"Thank you Amanda for all your hard work today. We will see you tomorrow." Fedorov said as he led her to the front door. As soon as she was outside, he returned to the kitchen and said "Judy, make sure I know when Amanda arrives tomorrow. In the meantime, I will be going out for the night. I'm going to go check on Becca before I go." He quickly went upstairs but didn't stay long. Lee noticed that he didn't seem very happy when he came back down but immediately left the premises.

"Where do you think he is going?" Lee questioned?

"I don't know." Judy responded.

"I'm going to try to follow him." Lee said as he hurried off.

The Limo was just pulling out as Lee got into the car. He waited a few seconds for it to go around the corner and then he followed it. The Limo drove out of town for about 15 miles and then pulled off at a building that listed a Justice of the Peace. One of his men had gone with him and he was the one who ran inside the building. A few minutes later he came back out with some documents that he handed to Fedorov as he got back into the car. They then drove to a building that featured live music. Fedorov himself got out this time and strode into the place. About 20 minutes later he walked back out with a big smile on his face while one of the workers came out and put a sign up saying that a private function was being held on Wednesday. It appeared that in 3 days, Fedorov intended to throw himself a wedding.

Fedorov got back in the car and the limo headed south. It pulled into an expensive hotel and Feodrov got out while speaking to his men. He then walked to the hotel. The limo was parked directly in front of the hotel and Lee knew that the driver and Fedorov's henchman would know him if he tried to go in. He sat and waited. After an hour, Fedorov still had not come back out. Surely he couldn't be having an affair just before he got married, could he? Lee needed to get into that hotel without them spotting him. He just needed to figure out how.

Almost at that same moment, a young woman pulled up beside him. Without giving a thought to who might be watching, she snatched off her red wig and put on a blonde one. As she got out of the car, Lee got out of his.

"Excuse me, can I have a word with you?"

"Look officer, I have a friend in this hotel. You can't stop me from visiting a friend can you?"

"I'm not a police officer. I just wanted to know if I could borrow your wig?"

"Oh, you got a thing for women's wigs?"

"Yeah, I'm trying to surprise a buddy of mine and it would be funny to play a practical joke on him. Do you think you could fix me up like a lady?"

"Sure. I have all that you need." She ushered Lee to the car and though she couldn't do anything about his jeans, she did make him put on a bra and put a sexy top over top of it. She then added blush, eyeliner, mascara, and lipstick to his face. As the finishing touch, she put the red wig on. "Well big boy, you look might sexy if you ask me." She said.

Lee looked at himself the best he could in the side mirror on her car. He nearly fell over when he saw what she had done to him. No one would recognize him for sure.

"Thank you for your help. I'll put the stuff back when I come out."

"Oh sugar, you can keep the wig if you want. It suits you." She said with a smile and then headed for the hotel.

Lee waited until she was inside and then followed. The two men barely glanced at him as he walked by them. Once he was inside the hotel, he began looking for Fedorov but there was no sign of him. Lee had no choice but to wait. So he sat down in the hotel lounge and picked up a magazine to make it look like he was truly a guest who was waiting for company.

Fedorov apparently had checked into a room because it was soon midnight and there was no sign of him. Lee waited for the desk clerk to go to the bathroom and then snuck a peek at the registry. Judging at the time that Fedorov had arrived, Lee determined that he had put himself down as Justin Nolan and he was in Room #203. Lee hurried to the elevator and took it to the second floor. Standing outside Room 203, he listened to see if there was any sound coming from the room. There wasn't a sound, not even a tv playing. What did it mean? Why would he come here to sleep when he had a whole house full of rooms to choose from to sleep in? Lee was ready to go back to the elevator when he heard footsteps coming towards the door. He quickly dived around the corner and waited to see who was coming. The door opened and Senator Cracken walked out. "Fedorov, always nice to spend time with you. Congratulations to you and your Bride. I will make sure that we help you celebrate right by inviting the usual important Politicians to your wedding."

"Thank you Senator. I knew I could count on you."

"Well you know; that little persuasion that you offer always helps." The Senator said as he lifted a briefcase up in acknowledgement."

"That's just my little thank you gift Senator. Now, you convince the President to come and I'm sure I can get you an even bigger briefcase."

"I will do my best Fedorov. Well goodnight. Too bad your fiancé wasn't feeling well. I'm dying to meet her."

"You know how women are. They don't like the groom to see them before the wedding anyway. Goodnight Senator." Fedorov said as he closed the door.

Lee waited for the Senator to get into the elevator and then he walked over and pushed the button. Whatever Fedorov had in mind, he intended to involve as many DC Politicians as he could. How did Senator Cracken get involved though? It was time to call Billy and let him know that he needed to get the agency ready for whatever was happening on Wednesday.

 **TBC**


	22. Chapter 22 - Confessions of a Mad Man

**Chapter 22 – Confessions of a Mad Man**

Amanda didn't sleep well that night. What did Fedorov want with her? She made the decision that she better wear the headband and hope that Lee noticed and listened in. Something just didn't feel right. Fedorov had been so determined that she needed to spend time with the girls and now suddenly for him to pull her for this new project didn't make any sense. Just before her alarm began going off, Amanda fell into a troubled sleep. It was not good that she didn't get much sleep. Lee would tell her that a good agent needed their sleep. Well she knew that but there was just too much to worry about right now.

She quickly got dressed and adjusted the headband and then went down to greet her family. Her Mother gave her a strange look and said "Another day with the snakes dear?"

"Yes Mother. They are fascinating creatures for sure." Amanda answered. "I have to run though so I'm just going to grab this banana for breakfast."

"That isn't much of a breakfast. You know it is the most important meal of the day."

"I know Mother but I will be late." She responded as she dashed out the front door.

"I had no idea snakes could tell time." Dotty mused as she watched her daughter close the front door.

SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK

Amanda pulled up in front of Fedorov's house, gave a big sigh and walked to the back of the house. She needed to find Lee and make sure he knew that she was concerned and had decided to wear the headband. As she let herself in the back door, she noticed that Lee was helping Judy clean up the kitchen. No one else seemed to be around so she said a cheery "Hello" out loud and both Judy and Lee looked up at her. She made a big point to straighten the headband and Lee nodded as he caught on immediately. No one had a chance to say anything though as Fedorov suddenly appeared out of no where.

"Amanda, you are right on time. I love that you are always so prompt. Come with me. We have a lot to do today."

"Where are we going?" Amanda asked.

"Did anyone ever tell you that you ask a lot of questions?"

"Oh I don't know, maybe once or twice." Amanda agreed.

Fedorov soon guided her out to his limo. "I want you to help plan my wedding."

"Your wedding? To whom?"

"To Becca of course. Now I already paid for a Justice of the Peace. I also already rented a music hall for the reception."

"Aleksandr, I still don't understand. What do you need me for if you have already done all the legwork?"

"Oh but that's just for my wedding. There are other things happening that need to be discussed and arranged. I trust you Amanda and you are going to help me to take control of this country."

"What are you talking about?" Amanda asked with a little fear in her voice.

Fedorov grew quiet and chose not to answer her question.

The limo had pulled into a large empty parking lot. Amanda noticed that there was a big factory building to the south of the parking lot. The driver had gotten out of the car and opened Amanda's door so she could get out.

"Wait here." Fedorov said to the driver as he steered Amanda towards the front of the building.

"What is this place?" Amanda asked in hopes of letting Lee know where she was.

"Let's just say this is one of my secret hiding places. Come with me and I'll show you around." Fedorov said as he led her into a huge room that had a bar in the corner. "Care for a drink?" He asked her.

"No, it is too early in the morning to be drinking." Amanda answered.

"Nonsense, it is never too early to drink." Fedorov went to the bar and poured himself a tall glass of gin and tonic. "You sure you don't want anything? A man hates to drink alone." Fedorov said as he gulped down the contents of his glass. He quickly refilled it and then carried it to a nearby table. He motioned for Amanda to sit with him. She took a seat across from him and wondered why he was drinking so early.

"You women really are impossible. Why do you always have to play hard to get games? Now you know Becca and I were made for each other and I know she is thrilled that I asked her to marry me but she has to pretend that she isn't and give me a hard time. I don't like arguing all the time and I hate having to use my power to get what I want. I think she likes to see how far she can push me like a young kid would do to their father. I always get what I want in the end though. You know Amanda; I can't help but notice how beautiful you are. You know, I'm not married yet. There are bedrooms upstairs in this building. Do you want to come join me for a little fun before we get down to business. I promise it will be worth your while."

"I already told you that I'm not into that sort of thing. Now what kind of business do we need to take care of?" Amanda asked as she took her hand out of his.

"AND more hard to get games." Fedorov said as he got up to refill his drink.

He staggered a little as he walked back to the table and sunk into the chair he had just vacated. "Everyone always has to play games with me. First there was that Dixon fellow. Now I admit, he was pretty upset with me for setting him up at the casino so he lost a lot of money but he could have just signed everything over to me quietly instead of trying to find ways to threaten me. All I needed was the houses and some drugs for my future plans but no, the man had to constantly irritate me. The funniest part is that he still thought he could trust me enough to tell me things. Imagine my surprise when he confessed that he had this super drug that he was experimenting with to help the brain. The drug was supposed to shut off certain receptors in the brain so it didn't know it was in pain. He only told me about it because he thought he could convince me to wait until he had perfected it and could sell it. He told me it would be worth millions and he would give me a share of that. The fool made one mistake though when he told me that in its current state, it would often cause seizures that paralyzed the user for sometimes hours and several of the mice he was testing it on had died of cardiac arrest. He was sure that he was close to a break through that would allow him to tweak it so this was no longer an issue."

Fedorov had drained his glass again so he got up to make himself another drink. He motioned to a shocked Amanda once again to make her one but she managed to shake her head no. He then staggered even worse back to his chair and continued "I asked him if I could see the drug and he stupidly brought it home to show it to me. It took nothing to steal it from him that night. Of course he came to me all angry the next day when he found that it was missing but I told him that I didn't touch it and that the staff must have taken it. He finally left me alone about it. Then I waited for the perfect opportunity and it didn't take long. He had picked another fight with me several days later. He poured himself a beer to calm down afterward and I quietly requested that one of my men call the house and ask for him. I had planned it out ahead of time and my man knew what to do. I dumped a lot of the medicine into his beer thinking that it would be best if there was more than normally would be given. Meanwhile, my man pretended to be from the lab and asked him to come right away. Dixon chugged the beer and then headed out. I then sent two of my most loyal men to follow him. They came back 30 minutes later and told me that Dixon had gone off the road a few miles away. After making sure no one was coming, they went to the car and checked out the scene. Dixon's head had smashed against the steering wheel when the car hit a tree so he had blood from a large wound on top of his head. They also discovered that Dixon didn't have a pulse. They turned off the headlights and shut the car off to make sure no one would spot the car for awhile and then left. I figured that the medical team would find traces of the drug in his body and that I would likely be their first suspect so expected to be questioned. After a few days, no one showed up. There wasn't any news in the paper or on tv about the accident so I had the men go take a drive over to make sure the car was gone. There wasn't any sign that anything had happened. I realized at that moment that they were truly treating his death like an accident and not a homicide. I wondered how come they weren't questioning anything and that's when I remembered that Dixon had mentioned that sometimes the experimental drugs were so new that unless someone knew what they were looking for, they wouldn't notice anything strange during an autopsy. This drug apparently gave off no red flags but I didn't want to take the chance of them continuing to examine the body so I made claim to it and said I needed to arrange the burial and they let me take the body."

"So you killed him?" Amanda asked as she tried to absorb what he was telling her.

"Oh no, I didn't kill him. He killed himself. If he hadn't played games with me, he would still be alive. You see, that's the thing about games, they tend to make someone a loser. In this case, it was Dixon."

"Aleksandr, why are you telling me all of this?"

"Oh my Dear Amanda, I just want you to know that playing games can get you hurt. Now I need your help and I expect for you to cooperate. Do we have an understanding?"

"What is it that you want me to do?"

"Awww, that's my girl. Are you ready for that drink now?"

"Yes, I think I might need one." Amanda said as she realized that Lee had no idea where she was. Suddenly she wasn't just a little scared, Amanda found her heart racing with fear. As she watched Fedorov get up to pour them both drinks, she wondered just what this maniac had in mind. She knew in a few minutes she was likely going to find out and the thought was terrifying.

 **TBC**


	23. Chapter 23 - Some Great Agent Indeed!

**Chapter 23 – Some Great Agent**

Lee was glad that he had taken the time to call Billy and had even woke him up to tell him about what he had heard at the hotel between Fedorov and Senator Cracken. He also filled him in on the wedding and the reception and gave him the addresses for both places. Billy promised to get some agents in the area to check on things the next day. In the meantime, Billy would have Francine start trying to compile a list of the people that Cracken had invited. He was sure with all her contacts that she could probably get her hands on a guest list if she tried hard enough. In the meantime, Billy agreed that it was time to start producing fake id's for Becca. They would use the name of Rebecca Lynn Feller.

When Lee had come out of the hotel, he noticed that the female hooker friend who had helped him had left already. As he got into the car he was using, he took off the red wig and looked at it. He wondered which of his lady friends would enjoy owning it. He felt bad that he couldn't give it back but she had told him to keep it so she obviously had plenty of others. He tossed it in the passenger seat and then tried to take off as much of the make up as he could. It smeared everywhere and made a horrible mess. He couldn't help but wonder how women could wear all of that gunk. He decided to give up and drove back to the house. Thankfully no one had been around and he had been able to sneak up to his room without anyone seeing him. After a nice hot shower and a good face scrubbing, he felt much more himself.

As he tried to relax on the bed, he wondered what Fedorov had in mind. Why was he insisting that Amanda spend the day with him? Something didn't seem right and even Amanda seemed to have picked up on it. He hoped she would remember to wear the headband so he would know what was going on. Amanda had come a long way since that first day he met her at the train station so he was sure she would play it smart and wear it. Something told him that it could be the difference between life and death right now. It took a long time but sleep finally overtook him just a couple of hours before his alarm went off. He really needed to get more sleep. Why was it that every since Amanda had come into his life, he seemed to have such trouble sleeping?

After he got up and got dressed, he made his way downstairs and found Judy getting things ready for making breakfast.

"Have you seen Becca?" He asked.

"Yes, she snuck down early this morning and we chatted for a bit. Lee, he is going to force her to marry him. He told her that he knows the one way to control her is through her father so he has told her that if she doesn't go through with the marriage, he kidnap her father and torture him slowly while making her Mother watch. She is so upset. She doesn't know what to do."

"Judy, I have an idea. I need to ask you something though."

"Go ahead."

"Do you know what Becca's real name is?"

"Yes, it's Rebecca, isn't it?"

"No, I'm not sure where Becca even came from. Her real name is Sabrina. I had the agency check and her middle name is Katelyn. If Becca was to use that name along with a fake middle name, the marriage would not be true. While Fedorov is busy with Amanda today, do you think you could talk to Becca and let her know this? The agency is creating fake ids for her that will state her name as Rebecca Lynn Feller. As long as she has never told anyone here what her real name is, it should work. Then she just needs to make sure she doesn't consummate the marriage. I need you to let her know all of that. Can you do it?"

"I will find a way."

"I knew I could count on you." Lee said as he patted her arm in a comfort gesture.

The two of them soon had breakfast prepared and every one served. Afterward, Lee offered to help Judy clean up. As they were finishing with the last of it, Amanda walked in. Lee couldn't help but smile inside when he saw the headband. He was doing a great job honing her to be an agent. That's what happened when someone learned from the best he thought to himself. He noticed that she signaled it by straightening it with her hand so he nodded that he understood but before either of them could say anything Fedorov appeared and whisked her away. Judy whispered "Go follow him, I'll cover for you."

Lee hurried out to his car but when he got outside; Jerry approached him and asked "Have you seen Amanda? I thought I was supposed to bring her over to the house today?"

"Oh, you didn't hear? She is spending the day with Fedorov today. It looks like he is interested in her too." Lee couldn't help but taunt the jerk a little.

"Who said I was interested in her?" Jerry asked.

"Man, it is all over you. You are like a little lost puppy who just found his new best friend when you are around her. Look, I need to get going. Excuse me, okay?" Lee asked without expecting a reply as he pushed back Jerry and got into his car to follow them. They had gone down over the hill so he headed that way too. As he turned the corner, he realized they had totally disappeared. Lee banged the steering wheel in frustration as he turned on the radio to listen in on their conversation. He could only hope that Fedorov didn't try anything since Lee had no idea where they were. Maybe Amanda would give him some clues and then he could still find her.

He turned the speakers up just in time to hear Fedorov tell Amanda that she was going to help him take control of the country. They had apparently reached their destination so it couldn't be too far away. Now he just needed Amanda to give him some clues. He noticed that she did ask him where the place was but his only response was to offer her a drink. Did he bring her to the hall where he intended to do the reception? Lee turned the car in that direction. As he was driving, he realized that that seemed too far away for him to be there already so Lee pulled over to listen some more. He noticed that Fedorov was still trying to seduce Amanda. Thankfully he hadn't forced himself onto her.

As he was busy congratulating Amanda on standing up to Fedorov, his next reaction was one of immense anger. Fedorov actually confessed the premeditated murder of Sammy Dixon to Amanda. Lee now knew exactly had the man had planned it out and just how much a cold blooded killer this man could be and right now he was sitting with Amanda and she had no one there to protect her. As he listened, he realized that Fedorov had had a few drinks but he knew what he was doing. He was making sure he had Amanda under control. Once she knew that he wouldn't hesitate to kill, she wouldn't dare to disobey him. Lee needed to find her before it was too late. Where in the world did he take her? Lee decided he needed to start driving and figure it out. Why in the world did he not think to plant a homing device on her? Some agent he was. Now because of his stupidity, he might not find her in time.

 **TBC**


	24. Chapt 24-Good Agent Knows When to Shutup

**Chapter 24 – A Good Agent Knows when to Shut Up**

Amanda knew that Fedorov had been drinking quite a lot. She wondered if he would drink enough so he would pass out if she kept him talking. As he walked back to the table with a drink for both of them, he slouched down in his chair and looked at her. Amanda had a creepy feeling seeing the look he was given to her so she quickly asked "So if you claimed the body, what did you do with it?"

Fedorov chuckled and said "You are always thinking, aren't you? That's why I'm so drawn to you Amanda. We are so much alike. We never stop questioning others. Well you see, I had a little plot already purchased for such a time at the Oak Hill Cemetery. I always knew it would come in handy some day. An unmarked grave in a big cemetery and no one needs to know where it is. I am brilliant, aren't I"

"Sure, but what if someone finds the grave?"

"Oh, they won't. I did everything legal but it will be a long time before anyone figures out where that grave is. Trust me. Now, let's talk about what you and I are going to accomplish in the next couple of days, shall we?"

Amanda sighed inside and said "Sure, what do you need me to do?"

"That's my girl. So as you probably know by now, I'm a Russian Diplomat. I have been in this country for many years and your government would like nothing more than to escort me out of it. Unfortunately for them, they have never been able to stick me with any crime so my diplomatic immunity saves me. People think that Russia has a corrupt system but they have no idea that the US political system is just as bad. Through the years, I have made many friends in Politics and they have helped me to elude everyone who has ever tried to convict me of the crimes I have done. It is amazing how much these men will do when you wave a briefcase of money in front of them. Luckily for me, I just happen to have a lot of money to wave. I'm tried of the games though. Always it is games with everyone. Your Government has never taken me seriously and though I have never asked for anything specific, they are not offering anything to get me to stop either. So I have decided it is time to show them just how powerful I am and then they will be forced to give me anything I want."

Amanda gulped as she listened to this mad man and then asked "What are you planning to do?"

"My wedding is going to be one of the most memorable moments in the DC area. Not only am I going to marry a beautiful woman who is going to help me gain access to one of the most notorious Government Operative Organization but I'm also going to blow up a building full of some of this countries most powerful Senators and Congressmen and just maybe the President too."

"You are going to what?" Amanda asked in shock.

"Oh you heard me right. I have planned this for a long time. I collected 21 girls. Those 21 girls will be instructed to dance with as many of them as possible and when the moment is right, Becca and I and of course you will make our escape while the entire building is blown to smithereens. It will be so beautiful. You will be my spokesperson and make my demands for me. During the party, you will help make sure the girls are keeping our guests happy and entertained so that no one leaves. No one will suspect a thing."

"So you are just going to murder all those people including the 21 girls that you claimed to care about?"

"Oh I care about them. I took good care of them. I treated them better than most farmers treat their livestock. Sadly all things have an end to their usefulness and now is that time for them. No one will miss any of them. They all left bad situations and have no one looking for them or caring about them. They are all of age. I'm not sacrificing young children or people who will be missed. No one will miss them Amanda. That is the beauty of it. So after we make our getaway, you will issue a statement telling the world what I have done and you will make my demands. We will both become very, very powerful people."

"Where does Becca fit into all of this?"

"Awww, Becca. Well it is a crazy idea but she has an Uncle that she hasn't seen in several years working for a Government Spy network called the Agency. I think if Becca's Uncle knows that his little Niece could be in trouble, he just might be willing to share some of his secrets with me. Even if he doesn't, I still want Becca for now. I want a child, a boy. I intend to make her give me that."

Amanda realized at that moment that she was in a lot of trouble. Where was Lee? Was he getting all of this conversation? Where was the agency? Why weren't they there yet?

"So you mentioned that you were going to blow up the building where you have your Wedding Reception. How are you going to do that?"

"Oh, that is the beautiful thing about it. All my lovely girls will be dressed in those beautiful dresses you helped pick out. I had a bomb making expert friend of mine pick up 21 beautiful white hats for each of them to wear. He has carefully sewn a small bomb into the bonnet of each of those 21 hats. Oh, the bombs are small but they will have enough force to individually destroy a 1000 SF amount of space. You can't say that I'm heartless because those bombs will all detonate at the same time and no one will feel a thing. It will be a quick and painless death for all of them. I will make sure you mention this during your first speech too I want the world to know that I'm not heartless and that I cared enough to make sure they didn't suffer."

"You are going to make the girls wear the hats?"

"No, that is your job. Remember? You are my Executive Assistant. The girls already trust you. They won't think twice about it when you hand each of them a hat and tell them not to take it off for the evening. I have spent months working on all the details. When Becca brought you home and I realized how perfect you were at acting like a Mother, I knew you were the missing piece I had been looking for. It is all so perfect. What could possibly go wrong? Amanda, we will go on to do great things together. And who knows, at some point, Becca might lose my interest and then maybe you and I can get together." Fedorov ran his hand down Amanda's arm as he spoke. Amanda moved her arm and said "I don't know. I don't think this is a job that I'm suitable for. I don't like killing people."

"Oh but you aren't doing the killing. You won't even see any of it. We will be long gone before the bombs go off. I have set them to trigger around 11pm and the party is supposed to end around midnight so everyone will still be there. We will take our leave shortly after 10pm. Everyone will just think the Bride and Groom went off to consummate their marriage which of course we will but they will have no idea that it was all a set up. Nothing can go wrong Amanda. We will be out of harm's way in plenty of time and then we will move forward to control this country. So what do you say? Are you in with me? Can we be partners?" Fedorov asked.

Lee had been listening to the whole thing. He had pulled over and was taking notes so he could let Billy know what was going on. This man was truly even crazier than any of them had imagined. Amanda had done well keeping her composure as he bragged about his plans and he was very proud of her. She just needed to continue so that he would return her safely back to the house and then Lee could work on getting her out of there and away from this pyscho. Fedorov's ego was so high that as long as he believed Amanda was staying loyal to him, he would still trust her. Amanda's next words set his heart to racing and he felt like he had just been punched in the gut.

"No, I can't do that. I can't do any of that. I'm sorry. You really need help. Do you realize what you are proposing? You are going to kill hundreds of people. How could you live with yourself? I don't understand. Now I know I should pretend to be okay with all of this because you likely plan to kill me if I don't go along with it. I just can't. I like those girls and Sir, you just have to reconsider. Please don't do this. There has to be a better way to get the Government to listen to you. Look, I can help you do that. We can go talk to some people and you can tell them what you are upset about and we can convince them to change things for you. Killing people is never the answer though. What if one of those girls was a relative of yours and someone blew them up for the fun of it? How would you feel? There has to be a better way. Please let me help you." Amanda said the last sentence very softly as she realized too late the mistake that she had just made. She had sat listening to this mad man for the past hour and she just couldn't believe anyone would plan out such a gruesome plan and expect her to be fine with it and agree to go along with it. She should have stayed silent. The fact that the agency hadn't arrived might mean that Lee hadn't figured out where she was yet. This man was unstable. Amanda had let her emotions talk for her instead of staying quiet. She was never going to be a good agent if she allowed herself to say stupid stuff like this. Would it matter though? At this rate, she would be dead in a few minutes. She had watched his face. No matter how drunk she thought he might be, he had sobered up quickly as she turned him down and ridiculed his plan. She watched as his face got angrier and angrier and that's when she realized she needed to stop talking.

Finally Fedorov got his emotions under control enough to speak. "I've been very patient with you. I have offered you more than most people ever would expect in a lifetime. You still insist on playing games with me. Well no more games. I told you that I wouldn't tolerate any more games. You will stay here until I come back for you. I don't need you to complete my mission. I can do it without you."

Fedorov had gotten up and walked back to the front door and motioned for his driver to come in. He then walked back to Amanda and caressed her face and forced her to kiss him. "Yes, you are a fighter. Did I mention to you that I like it rough? I like seeing how much a woman will fight me. I think as a celebration after the building blows up, I will come back here to see just how rough we can make it for each other and then I will kill you. I would kill you now but I don't have time to enjoy myself since Becca awaits me and I have a wedding to get ready for. And oh how I look forward to enjoying myself with you Amanda. I deserve it after you played games with me. My adrenaline will be high on Wednesday Night and knowing that I have you waiting for me to come back to will give me a rush like I have never had before. It will definitely be worth the wait."

The driver had come inside just as Fedorov had finished his comment. "James, Take her upstairs."

James forced Amanda to stand and then pushed her ahead of him up the stairs. "In there" Fedorov motioned to a room at the top of the stairs. James shoved Amanda inside the room and motioned for her to lie down on the bed. Fedorov opened up the night stand and took out four sets of handcuffs. He handed them to James who quickly cuffed all of Amanda's arms and legs to the bed. Her headband had gotten messed up as he worked on her so he took it off and put it in his pocket. Amanda couldn't figure out a way to ask for it back without sending out a red flag so she had no choice but to let them take it. Fedorov motioned for James to leave and asked him to wait out by the car. "I'll only be a few minutes" Fedorov said as James nodded and headed out of the room.

"Amanda, I'm sad that things have to end this way. I had such great plans for us. I will be sure to let Becca know that you were sorry you couldn't attend her wedding." Fedorov leaned over the bed and grabbed Amanda roughly by the hair and kissed her again while stroking her face with his other hand. Amanda fought him the whole time and when he let go he said "Oh yes, you are definitely going to be worth waiting for." He then ripped off a piece of her shirt and forced it into her mouth as a gag and tied it behind her head.

"It will all be over soon. I'm sorry no one will be around to provide food for you but at least the bed is comfortable. Just so you know, this is an old building and no one has been here in years. I acquired it from an old buddy of mine who needed to pay off a loan shark. I never quite got around to doing anything with it. I always pictured it as a whore house similar to like those old Westerns on TV that used to always have a boarding house with a bar downstairs and bedrooms upstairs. You always knew what the bedrooms were for even though we rarely ever saw any of the action upstairs. Seeing you in this bed with your amazing body, I regret I never did it. Until Wednesday: My love. I look forward to our last time together."

At that moment Lee felt every emotion that he knew Amanda was feeling. Why didn't she keep quiet? She knew how insane Fedorov was. "Damn It" He yelled as he slammed his hands on the steering wheel. It was bad enough that he had to figure out a way to stop Fedorov but now he needed to figure out where Amanda was being held and save her before it was too late.

 **TBC**


	25. Chapter 25 - Getting Help

**Chapter 25 – Getting Help**

Lee threw the car in drive and raced to the agency. He knew he needed help and he needed to work out a plan with Billy.

As he rushed into the Bullpen, Francine saw him and asked "Where's the fire? OH, did the little Housewife get into some trouble?"

"Shut up Francine and come to Billy's office with me."

"Oh" Francine said as she followed him.

After Lee shut the door, he pulled out his notes and read off what he had heard to Billy and Francine. Billy's expression never changed but Francine's did as she realized that her joke wasn't so funny after all.

"Any idea where he has her?" Billy asked.

"I don't know the area well enough to figure it out. It has to be a pretty large building that has two floors to it." Lee answered.

"Francine, start a search to see if you can determine where this building might be. It has to be less than 15 miles away from Fedorov's house due to the length of time it took him to reach it with Amanda."

"I'm on it." Francine said. She stopped in the doorway and said "I'm sorry Lee. I wouldn't have made the joke if I had known."

"Just help me find her, okay?" Lee pleaded.

Francine nodded as she shut the door behind her.

"Now Lee, don't panic. She will be safe until Wednesday night. His ego is too big for him to hurt her before then. He will want to follow through with his plans. That gives us some time. In the meantime, Francine did get the guest list and it is packed full of some really important people. At least Amanda was able to extract a lot of information from him so now we know what his intentions are. Lee, that will save all those people."

"How Billy? How do we save them without tipping him off?"

"Let me explain it to you." Billy said with a grin. As he explained what he had in mind to Lee, Lee's face suddenly lit up. "That's brilliant. He won't have any idea. So now we just have to save Amanda."

"We will. We'll find her Lee. Why don't you go back to the house and let Judy know what is going on. We need to make sure we know of any last minute changes if possible."

"Yeah. I'll check in tomorrow morning."

"Okay. And Lee, try not to worry. We will find Mrs. King. You know, she's a very brave woman standing up to him."

"Yeah" Lee said as he swiped his hand through his hair. "I just wish she could have kept quiet a bit longer. If only…"

"I know" Billy interrupted him before he could say it. "She's still learning. Someone like Francine wouldn't have let her emotions out but Amanda is an emotional woman. It will take her time to learn to control that."

"Let's hope she has a chance to learn it." Lee said as he opened Billy's office and walked out. He needed to get back to Barnaby Woods but Lee decided to take the scenic route. Maybe he would get lucky and see a 2 story building that seemed deserted but called out to him.

 **TBC**


	26. Chapter 26 - working Together

**Chapter 26**

Lee drove through all the nearby neighborhoods on the way back to Barnaby Woods in hopes of finding a building that might be where Amanda was being held, but in the end, he finally had to admit defeat and head to the house. He managed to get inside just before Fedorov entered the kitchen.

"Judy, I need you to make my wedding cake for me. I don't expect anything too fancy, just a three tier cake that is tastefully decorated. Can you do that for me?"

"Of course I can."

"Great, I knew I could count on you. So is this helper of yours working out or should we fire him?"

"No, he is a great help. I would like to keep him sir."

"Very well, we will for now. Oh, it seems that Amanda is tied up so could you please call that caterer we used at Christmas time and have them arrange to bring some of their best selection of food to the building we are having the reception. I wrote down the address here for you." Fedorov requested as he handed Judy a piece of paper.

"Is there anything special you want them to serve?"

"No, they did a great job before so I'll leave it in their hands. Tell them that we need to be able to feed about 100 people though, okay?"

"You plan to have that many at your wedding Sir?" Judy asked.

"Oh no, my wedding will be just Becca and me along with a couple of my men for witnesses. The Reception is going to be a bang of a party though." Fedorov said with a grin. He then turned and walked out of the room.

As soon as they made sure he was gone and no one else was lurking; Judy asked "Where have you been? Where is Amanda?"

"He really does have her tied up." Lee said sadly. He then told Judy all that had happened and asked her if she knew of any property that Fedorov owned that matched up to the description of the building where Amanda was being held. Judy couldn't think of any. "I'll let you know if I hear anything though. Oh, Lee this package came for you. It was hand delivered." Judy said as he handed it to Lee. Lee opened it up and found the ids for Rebecca. He passed them to Judy who whistled as she saw how authentic they looked.

"Did you tell her what I have suggested?"

"Yes, she was surprised to know that you knew her real name. She promised to explain later when she got a chance but she said that she hadn't told anyone since she left home that her name wasn't Becca."

"Good. Well I guess we have a cake to prepare, don't we?"

Judy prepared the cake batter while Lee helped and soon they had the cake in the oven. They both worked together to clean up the kitchen and finished just as the cake was determined to be done. Judy stuck the cake into the freezer so it would cool down faster and then began preparing the frosting. In the meantime, Lee began peeling potatoes to help Judy out with the dinner preparations.

Lee was fascinated as he watched Judy decorate the cake. She very quickly made the cake into a small masterpiece complete with 3 tiers and white roses all over it. "Where did you learn to do that?" Lee asked.

"Oh, my Mother taught me many years ago. She decorated and sold cakes for extra money. I loved watching her do them so she began teaching me when I was only about 5 years old. I don't get to do them often anymore but when Sammy was here, he would have me make cakes all the time to share with the staff. He loved making everyone feel appreciated and keeping them happy."

"You miss him, don't you?"

"Yeah, he was a good man. He didn't deserve to be killed."

"We'll stop Fedorov from killing anyone else Judy. We are going to stop him and get him out of this country. I promise you that."

"In the meantime, what about Amanda?"

Lee swiped his hand through his hair and started to speak when suddenly Becca appeared and asked "What about Amanda? Where is she?"

"Becca!" Judy said as she rushed to hug the child. "How did you get away from Fedorov?"

"Oh, I told him that a bride is not supposed to see the groom until after the wedding and that I wanted him to respect this one wish of mine. He agreed but only if I would agree to be checked by a doctor tomorrow. It seems that this pompous egotistical man thinks I'm going to get pregnant right away and produce a man child for him."

"We are working to stop all of this Becca. You have to trust us. Here, take these." Judy said as she slipped the ids into her hands.

"Oh good! He has been bugging me for them and I keep putting him off. He will be happy when I give them to one of his men. They look real."

"Yes Ma'am, no one would be able to tell the difference, not even a police officer." Lee said with pride of the handiwork of Leatherneck.

"So where is Amanda?" Becca asked again.

Lee sighed and said "Don't panic. She is okay. Fedorov has her hidden away right now until your wedding night. She upset him by refusing to be a part of his plans so he has left her there for now. We will find her and save her." 

"How" Becca asked as she began to tear up a little at the loss of her friend.

"Sweetie, don't you worry about that. Lee will figure it out. The important thing for you is to get back upstairs before Fedorov sees you and knows that you weren't being honest with him, okay?"

"Yeah." Becca said.

"Becca, you have to promise me something." Lee said.

"What?"

"I know that it won't be easy dealing with Fedorov on Wednesday but please keep your fighting with him to a minimum. We can't upset him. Trust us that we have a plan in place but I need you to take things easy with him and pretend you have given in to him. We have to work together if we are going to stop him. I promise we will be right there and you will be safe, okay?"

"As safe as Amanda is?"

"Come on Becca. Lee is doing the best he can. I trust him. He's the only chance we have."

Becca sighed and said "Okay, I'll trust you. You have to save Amanda though."

"I'm working on it! I promise." Lee said

Becca nodded and turned around and headed for the stairs. After she was out of earshot, Judy said "I sure hope you can save them both."

"Yeah, me too." Lee replied as he swiped his hand through his hair. "Me too."

 **TBC**


	27. Chapter 27- A Possible Helper

**Chapter 27 – A Possible Helper**

The rest of the night was uneventful. Lee helped Judy do all the kitchen chores and then went to his room. He would need to be out of the house early to avoid Fedorov. He wanted to check in with Billy to see if they had come up with any ideas where Amanda might be and at the same time make sure that Billy was being able to pull off his plan for fooling Fedorov during the reception. His mind wandered to Amanda. He was sure she was scared being tied up all alone in that room. He should have never let her go without a homing device. What was he thinking? This neighborhood was huge and it would be nearly impossible for them to search all the buildings for Amanda before time ran out.

As he lay on the bed thinking about it, he remembered what Amanda had told him about one of the girls in the house next door. If he could talk to her, maybe there was a way to find out where Amanda was. He just needed to figure out a way to talk to her without anyone noticing. What was her name again? Nadine? No, that was the girl who told her so much. Was it Sara? No, that was the girl that Amanda had confided in. What was it? Lee knew he wouldn't be able to sleep until he thought of it. He tried to think of every girl he had ever dated and what their name was but none of them sounded right. He should have written the names down. After staring at the ceiling for what seemed hours, Lee suddenly smiled. Her name was Vera. Yes, it was definitely Vera. He just needed to find her and convince her to help him. He was glad he remembered it and fell asleep almost immediately afterward.

The next morning, he got up and after showering and dressing, he made his way down to the kitchen. As usual, Judy had beaten him there and was already in the middle of cooking breakfast for everyone.

"How do I get access into the house next door?"

"Good Morning Lee. Did you sleep well? I didn't, thanks for asking." Judy said with a scolding look.

Lee sighed and said "I know, I know. Amanda is always after me about my manners too. I just always have things that seem more important. Judy, why didn't you sleep well?"

"I didn't sleep well because I'm worried about Becca and I'm worried about Amanda. Are you telling me that you slept fine?"

"I did once I figured out a way to locate Amanda. I need the help of one of the girls next door though. How can I get access?"

"I don't know, Fedorov has several men around the place. It is pretty secured. I don't know if you can get access." Judy answered.

"Well there has to be a way. I have to run out to a payphone for now. I want to check in with Billy and make sure everything is all set for tomorrow. Can you cover for me again?"

"Yes, but don't be too long."

"I might be. I'm going to check out the house next door when I come back. There has to be a way inside. I need to find it."

"Lee, even if you get inside, there is nothing to stop those girls from alerting the men that you are there."

"Not if I can somehow let them know that I'm a friend of Amanda's. She made friends over there. They might protect me if I can find either Nadine or Sara."

"Okay, but you getting captured is not going to help anyone."

"Oh, I will just simply say that I was drawn to the image of 21 beautiful women in one place and wanted to check it out. I was told not to explore upstairs here. Nothing was said about the house next door."

"Well that is true. Please be careful Lee."

"I always am." Lee said with a wink and smile.

"Why do I not believe you?" Judy said as she chuckled.

"If I had more time, I would be hurt by that comment but I have to run. See you in a few hours." Lee said as he scooted out the door.

Lee headed to the grocery store where he knew there would be a phone and where he would have a cover if he had been followed. After seeing no sign of anyone following him, Lee hurried to the phone booth and dialed the agency.

"Hey Billy. Any luck on figuring out where the building is?" Lee asked as Billy answered the phone.

"I'm sorry Lee. Nothing so far. Francine is still searching but there is a lot of ground to cover in that area and nothing is sticking out. We won't give up though."

"I think I might have figured out someone who can get the information for me. I'm going to go back and see if I can talk to her. How did Leatherneck and the others do with putting together your plan for the reception?"

"Everything is in place. Thank goodness Francine got the guest list. We were able to hire enough people and our people have been working with them since early this morning. So far it looks like it should go fine."

"Good. Have Francine continue looking for me but I'm going to go give my idea a try."

"Good luck Lee. Let me know if you are successful."

"I will Billy."

As Lee hung up the phone, he knew that he really needed to be successful. At the moment, Vera was his only chance. It was putting a lot onto this one girl but Amanda's life was in her hands. Now if only he could convince her to trust him and to help this woman that she only just met.

 **TBC**


	28. Chapter 28 - Will You Help Me?

**Chapter 28 – Will You Help Me?**

Lee drove back to the house but instead of stopping, he circled the block to see if he could tell where the guards were who were watching the girls. Lee was shocked when he realized that all of the men were stationed in the front and there didn't seem to be anyone watching the back of the house. He pulled the car over across from the back lawn and then got out of the car. As he surveyed the area, he realized that no one in the front of the house could see him from where he was standing. He cautiously began walking across the back lawn while keeping an eye out for anyone hiding in the bushes or standing in the shadows. Amazingly, no one was. He wondered if it was because there were cameras watching so he did a quick survey and couldn't see any at all. He wondered why they didn't feel the back needed to be watched.

Lee crept to an area that had a lot of windows and looked inside to see if there was an alarm hooked to them. There was no sign of one so Lee took out a tool and was quickly able to lift one of the windows open. After making sure that the coast was clear, he dropped inside as quietly as he could. As he made his way towards the staircase, he could see one lone guard standing at the base of the staircase but his attention was directed toward the front door and not the stairs. Lee walked up behind him and with one quick punch; he was able to knock him out. He quickly took off the man's uniform shirt and put it over top of his. Then he dragged the man into a closet and left him there. He noticed the name tag said his name was Ernie. Well Ernie would be out for a while which would give Lee time to do what he needed to do and hopefully time to get out of the house without being noticed.

Lee started climbing the stairs. He had no idea where he was going but hoped that somehow his instincts would lead him to the right place. A door opened as he reached the top of the stairs. The girl had started to come out of her room until she saw him and then turned to go back in. "Wait!" Lee called out and she hesitated. "I'm looking for Sara's room." Lee said.

The girl shook her head in disgust. She knew that the guards sometimes came up and did things with the girls and then gave them special treatment. She was glad none of them seemed interested in her. She pointed to a door down the hall and then went inside her room and closed the door.

Lee walked to the door that she had pointed to and knocked quietly on the door.

"Who is it" He heard inside.

"Open the door. I have to talk to you?" Lee pleaded to the closed door.

"What about? I didn't do anything wrong." The woman answered back.

"Please, we have a mutual friend. It is important I talk to you but I can't do it in the hallway."

"Ernie, if this is you, I swear I'm going to punch you. I told you already that I won't sleep with you." Sara said as she opened the door and saw Lee. "Who are you?" She asked again.

"Let me come in and I will explain." Lee pleaded again.

"Okay, I guess." She opened the door wide enough for him to sneak in and he sat down in a chair. She stared at him for a minute and then closed the door.

"So who the hell are you? And why are you in my room? I know you aren't one of the guards. That's Ernie's uniform."

"I had to borrow it. Ernie is fine; he is just sleeping right now. My name is Lee. Are you Sara?"

"So what? What do you want with me?" 

"You met Amanda two days ago, right? She told me that she confided in you and asked for your help. I need to follow through with that request. Fedorov has her handcuffed to a bed in a building somewhere nearby and I need help to find her."

"Wow, poor Amanda. But how do you expect me to help you? I'm stuck in this house."

"I know but Amanda told me about some of the girls here. She mentioned a girl named Vera and that she had been a prostitute. I think if she was willing to help me, she might be able to get James, the driver, to tell her where Amanda is. Do you think she would help?"

"I don't know. It won't hurt to ask her. Wait here and I will go get her."

Sara was gone so long that Lee was worried that she had gone to tell the guards that he was there. Then finally she showed up with another really petite and sexy looking girl.

"Vera, meet Lee. Lee, meet Vera. I already explained to her what you have in mind."

"I'm not really crazy with the idea but your friend was really nice to me and it isn't right that they are hurting her. James has been pushing to have sex with me for awhile and I keep putting him off. I'll tell him at dinner that I changed my mind. I'm sure I can get him to sing out what we want to know. The problem will be getting the information to you afterward."

"Did you know that the back of this house is not guarded by anyone?"

"Yes it is. Didn't you see the dogs?."

"Dogs? I didn't see any dogs."

"Maybe they were sleeping. There are 2 big German Shepherds so be careful when you leave."

"I will. Thanks for telling me. Anyway, all I need is the address. If you could write it on a piece of paper and put it in the back window then I could use binoculars tomorrow morning and read it. Do you think you can do that?"

"Sure. Meanwhile, what happens to all of us? What is Fedorov planning to do?" Vera asked.

"He's throwing himself a wedding with his newest girl. He wants all of you at the Reception so you can smooch up to some important people. Those people aren't going to be who they seem to be though and I want you to listen to them and do as they say and you will be safe. Okay?" 

"Sure." Sara and Vera both answered.

"Okay, well I have to go. I'll give you back Ernie's shirt. Maybe you can convince him that he just hit his head or something?"

"Don't worry about Ernie. He won't remember anything that happened." Sara said with a laugh. Lee gave her a curious look but left her to deal with it. After stripping off the shirt, he quietly opened the door and looked out into the hallway and saw that it was empty so he hurried down the stairs and went back to the window he had opened. He climbed out and closed the window behind him.

He was part way across the lawn when he heard it. At first, he didn't know what it was but then he heard the growl and the bark and as he quickly turned his head in the direction of the sound, he could see 4 legs and a huge body hurtling itself toward him. Lee took off running as fast he could go but soon he could feel the breath of the dog on his heels. As he ran around the one tree that was standing in the back, he suddenly saw the other dog in front of him. Crap, he was trapped. He could see the car parked less than a thousand feet away but he had to get by the dog in order to get to the car. He slowed down and said "Nice dog. Good boy. Nice dog. Want to play fetch?"

The dog showed its teeth as it wagged its tail at him. He was going to be breakfast for these two dogs. By this time, the other one had caught up to him and now they formed a semi circle around him. This was definitely not looking good. Lee looked at the dogs and then looked at the distance he would have to run to get to the car. Even if he made it to the car, he would still have to get the door open and get inside while those two monsters tried to kill him. This was probably why he never wanted to own a dog. How in the world was he going to get out of this one?

Lee was just about to try to make a run for it and hope for the best when he heard the sound of a window and then a female voice say "Treats! Murray! Zeus! Treats" Both dogs took their eyes off Lee for a few seconds and looked towards the house. Lee looked too and saw that Sara was hanging out of the window waving a huge steak for the dogs. "Just stay there Lee. They haven't had breakfast yet. They might come if we give it a few seconds."

Sara made sure that the dogs saw that she had the steak and then dropped it on the ground and said "Come on boys. It is all yours." Lee stood perfectly still while holding his breath. Suddenly as if both dogs had forgotten him, they took off for the steak. As soon as they were no longer in front of him, Lee began running for the car as fast as he could. By the time the dogs realized their mistake; Lee had reached the car and managed to get the door open. He slammed the car door shut just as both dogs slammed into it. After locking the door, Lee started the car and took off. He drove a few blocks away and then pulled over and got his breathing under control. That was way too close. Thank goodness for Sara; she had probably saved his life. He could see why Amanda had trusted her. She definitely seemed to have good instincts when it came to people. "Oh Amanda, hang on. Hopefully this plan works and I can find you tomorrow." Lee said out loud. He had put a lot of faith in both Sara and Vera but it was his only choice. He could only hope they wouldn't let him down. Lee had gotten out of the car so he could walk off some of the stress. As he reached to open up the car door, he noticed the huge dent in the side of the car where the dogs had collided with it. OH MAN, Leatherneck was going to kill him. Those stupid dogs. Why in the world would anyone own a dog?

 **TBC**


	29. Chapter 29 - Survival

**Chapter 29 – Survival**

Lee finally headed back to the house. Judy gave him a look of curiosity when he entered the kitchen and Lee smiled and nodded to tell her that he had gotten in. She shook her head in disbelief.

Lee helped Judy for the rest of the day and then just before it got too dark out, he drove by the back of the house were the girls were being kept to see if there was a note yet. Sadly, there wasn't but he did notice that one of the dogs was lying down near the window. It was good that he didn't need to go back inside the house. He soon arrived back at the house and helped Judy hand out dinner to the staff. He had managed to tell her what was happening and she couldn't believe that it looked like he might get the information from Vera. "I hear about her a lot. It isn't the first time she has agreed to sleep with one of the men to get favors. I'll bet James will tell her what she asks without thinking anything about it."

"That's what I'm hoping for. Lee said. After the dishes were washed and put away and the kitchen was cleaned, Lee excused himself to go to his room. It would be another really early morning so he could try to save Amanda before he needed to follow Fedorov to the Wedding. He found that he fell asleep a little easier knowing that he should be able to save Amanda in a few hours.

He awoke with a start and realized that it was already 7am so he got up and quickly dressed and made his way down the stairs. Judy whispered "Good Luck" as he walked out the door. He drove quickly to the back of the house and saw the note taped in the window as promised. He pulled out a pair of binoculars and was relieved to see that it had an address on it. When he realized that the address was just blocks away though, he was so upset with himself. How did he not find the building sooner? He put the car in gear and drove quickly to the address. He found himself in a huge parking lot that was totally empty in front of the building. As he got out of his car, he drew his gun and crept to the front door. It was locked so he pulled out his lock pick and quickly gained access. He couldn't be sure that Fedorov hadn't sent a man over to stand guard so he had to make sure the building was empty before he looked for Amanda.

SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK

"I'm so stupid. What kind of agent would I make when I let that disgusting man upset me and I can't even keep my mouth shut. It is no wonder that Lee puts up a fuss about working with me. Francine wouldn't have blown it like that. I know she wouldn't. Now look at me, I'm handcuffed to a bed and Lee has no idea where I am. He has no idea. Oh Amanda, what did you get yourself into this time?" Amanda said out loud to herself after she heard the door bang shut downstairs and knew that Fedorov had left her. She couldn't help but throw a pity party for herself. After all, how could Lee find her with the little he had to go on? She wished that James hadn't taken her headband. She wasn't sure it would have helped anyway since it could only let him hear her and not hone in on her location.

There wasn't any window in the room Fedorov had put her in so it didn't take long for the room to turn dark. As she lay staring at the ceiling, she began hearing noises. At first she wasn't sure what they were but then she realized she was clearly hearing the squeaks of mice and the scurrying of their little bodies. She shivered with Goosebumps from the thought of being surrounded by a ton of mice but there was nothing she could do. The way she was attached to the bed made it so she could barely move. In fact, Fedorov hadn't even left her an option to be able to go to the bathroom. How inhumane could a person be? As she lay there crying softly at the predicament that she was in, she was sure she could feel the mice crawling on her body and she wiggled the best she could to try to discourage them. She was thankful that they were mice and not rats. She knew that she would never sleep but it was about the only option she had since she couldn't do anything else. In the end, her body did shut down and she fell into a very troubled sleep. In her dreams, Lee was able to find her quickly and saved her just before a mouse began chewing on her nose. She woke with a start when she realized that there was a mouse curled up beside her face. She nudged it with her head and thankfully it scurried away. It appeared to be young and had sought her out for her warmth. Amanda had never been afraid of mice before but she had never wanted to sleep with one either.

It had become light in the room so she knew that it must be morning. She looked around but thankfully could see no evidence that the mice had harmed her during the night. However, her bladder was killing her by this time and she wished that she hadn't drunk that alcohol that Fedorov had given to her yesterday. There was no way she was going to be able to hold it much longer. At least she was wearing a dress so she wouldn't pee in her pants but she would have to lay in the pee. The whole thought was pretty disgusting.

Amanda wasn't about to give up though. She began pulling on the cuffs and was pleasantly shocked to realize that the footboard of the bed didn't seem to be attached to the frame. How did James not know that? It took a bit of pulling and a lot of frustration but Amanda was finally able to pull the footboard out of position and pull it up onto the bed with her. She moved her legs around until she could pull herself into a weird sitting position. After looking at the footboard, she could see that it was cracked which is why she was able to move it. She spread her legs as far apart as she could and held the position even though it hurt really badly and it made it even harder on her bladder but thankfully the footboard finally finished cracking and broke off into 2 pieces. She wasn't sure this helped much until she realized that James had cuffed her to the tops of the footboard which worked when it was in place but now that it was loose, it made it so the handcuffs might slide off if she tried hard enough. She started with the right hand side and began banging her leg against the bed as hard as she could. It took several minutes but suddenly the cuff popped free and the piece went flying across the room. Now that she had the hang of it, the second one came off much easier. She then bent her leg up in a weird painful angle and took off her underpants with her toes as she lifted her butt into the air. Once she had them off, she angled her body so that her feet were on the floor and it allowed her to pee onto the floor. When she was done, she said a silent prayer of thanks because she wasn't going to be able to hold it much longer and she had never been so thankful to go to the bathroom in her life. It took a little bit to wiggle back up onto the bed but she managed to do it. Her arms were now killing her from all the strain she had put onto them.

After things settled down a little for her, she realized that she was really thirsty. So this was what it felt like to be kept captive only to be killed. There was no need to worry about her comfort, her need for food or water or her need to empty her bladder. Fedorov hadn't worried about any of that since he intended to kill her in about 36 hours. She wondered if she could convince him that she had changed her mind? She could agree to have sex with him and then promise to do as he asked. Maybe he would agree to it? The thought of having sex with that man repulsed her though and she could not imagine willing giving herself up to him at all. Would Francine? She probably would.

Amanda began pulling on the cuffs that held her hands but those were solid and nothing she did could break their hold on her. She was just damaging the tissue on her hands where the cuffs held her so she finally gave up. Amanda decided that she wouldn't feel sorry for herself any longer. If she was going to die, then she would be strong. Her two sons would never understand though. Then there was her Mother. Would Lee be the one to tell her? Lee was right; she didn't belong doing this agency stuff. She wasn't trained well enough and if she was more suitable, then she would have kept her mouth shut and agreed to go along with Fedorov. Once she was back at the house, she could have let Lee know she was in trouble and he could have saved her. It was too late now. Would Fedorov leave her body to rot in this building or would he have it taken to the Potomac for disposal? Amanda's mind went to Becca. Amanda's torture would be over after tomorrow night but poor Becca would be forced to be with him until he bored of her or probably after she gave birth to the male child he wanted. She dreaded to think of how much Becca would endure until that time happened. She could only hope that Lee could stop him. Maybe if he did dispose of her body in the Potomac, it would be found and the agency could somehow determine it was him so her death could be used in stopping him.

All day Amanda's mind made up scenarios of the future and what would happen. By the time it turned dark again, she was exhausted. This time her body shut down without her struggling. She found herself dreaming about Lee. She found that he often came into her dreams when she was frightened or in despair. This time he told her that she would be okay. He was looking for her and he would find her and that she needed to be strong and keep herself together because he needed her as a Partner. He had taken her body into his arms and held her tightly while allowing her to cry and tell him how scared she was. He had comforted her and told her that she was safe now; he would be there shortly. The rest of the dream was a blur as she found comfort in it and finally fell into a deep rest.

Hours later she awoke with a start and as she tried to get more comfortable, she found her arms still tightly locked in the handcuffs. It had all been a dream. Lee hadn't come for her. How could he? He didn't even know where she was. She forced herself over the side of the bed and relieved herself again. By this time her lips were so dry she was surprised she had any urine left inside. After wiggling back up on the bed, she found herself staring at the ceiling. Soon she started counting all the specks on the ceiling tiles just for something to do. This must be how an elephant feels in a circus when it is forced to stay in one place and bops just to keep from going completely insane. As thoughts of Jamie and Phillip took over, she found herself tearing up as she realized she would never see them again.

That's when she heard it. At first she thought she was mistaken but then she knew she was not hearing things. Someone was walking around downstairs. Fedorov had said he wouldn't come back until after the wedding. He had obviously lied. He was going to come assault her now and probably leave her so he could do it again tonight. She had to get loose. She couldn't just lay there and wait for him to rape her. Amanda frantically began pulling on the handcuffs and tried to squeeze her hands through them. They were so tight though. She could now hear him moving up the stairs. Amanda began looking around to see if she could find something to protect herself with. On the night stand near her, there was a lamp. She stretched her fingers as far as they could go and grabbed the cord of the lamp and pulled it to her. What in the world good would this do? It wasn't like she could throw it at him. Maybe she could shove it into his groin though and stop him. That would probably make him angrier and she would still be cuffed and not be able to get loose. She was completely at his mercy and she knew it. She laid back down with tears in her eyes and awaited her tormentor.

 **TBC**


	30. Chapter 30 - The Rescue

**Chapter 30 – The Rescue**

The footsteps got closer as the man slowly climbed the stairs. Along the way he noticed something lying on of the stair treads and reached down to pick it up. It was a headband. He stared at it and then put it in his pocket. As he reached the top of the stairs, he heard what sounded like a lamp crash to the floor. He pulled a gun out of the holster that was around his shoulders and hurtled his body through the bedroom door with the gun aimed at the open room. What he saw sent chills up his body.

Amanda laid on the bed with her dress hiked up showing more than she would ever normally show. Her hair was a mess from what appeared to be her tossing her head around on the pillow. Her hands were cuffed to the headboard in a spread eagle style but the footboard was missing so it was why her legs were free. Lee noticed that her makeup was all smudged from crying. Even now she was softly crying while her eyes were closed.

He walked quietly to the bed and said in a soft voice "Amanda, it's me. Are you okay? Did he hurt you?"

Amanda slowly opened her eyes and looked at Lee as if he was a ghost. "Is it really you this time or are you another dream?"

"You were dreaming about me?" Lee asked with a smile while trying to break the tension.

"Not funny, Lee how did you find me?"

"It wasn't easy but you know I always have my ways. Here let me help you." Lee quickly pulled Amanda's dress down to cover her as she blushed knowing that he had seen so much. Then he retrieved his lock pick and quickly opened the handcuffs. As soon as she was free, Amanda grabbed Lee into a huge bear hug and began to cry. "You really are real this time. In my dreams you said you would be here soon but I didn't believe you and now here you are."

Lee gently held her and let her cry herself out. As she calmed down a little he asked "Did he hurt you Amanda? Your headband stopped transmitting and I found it out in the hallway so I'm not sure what happened after he brought you up here."

"Oh Lee, it was all my fault. You would be so disappointed in me. I'm so disappointed in me. He told me all those things he intended to do and my first reaction was that I just couldn't help him hurt so many people so I didn't think it out before I told him no. I'm sorry. I didn't expect him to get so angry, so quickly but it was too late after the words came out."

"There's nothing to be sorry about. You got him to tell you his plans. That was the information we needed. Now we can work at stopping him. Amanda, you didn't answer my question. Did he touch you? You know..did he hurt you?"

"No, no but when I heard the footsteps just now I thought he had changed his mind about waiting until tonight and had come back this morning to do that. I'm so glad it was you instead."

"Yeah, me too. Do you think you can stand up?"

"I think so." Amanda said as Lee helped her get on her feet. She found herself feeling weak from lack of food and being forced to lie so long without any movement. Lee had noticed the puddle beside the bed and had to admire that she figured out a way to take care of that necessity without having to do it in the bed. She was definitely a remarkable, resourceful woman.

"Let's get out of here in case he comes back." Lee suggested as he helped guide Amanda down the stairs.

He walked her to his car and helped her get in and then climbed into the driver's seat and headed the car toward downtown. Amanda noticed right away that Lee was heading in the wrong direction.

"Lee, where are you taking me"

"Home"

"No"

"No?"

"NO!"

"Amanda, what do you mean no?"

"I mean no. I can't go home. We have to finish this case Lee. You need me."

"Amanda, he can't know that you are free."

"He doesn't have to know. I can go in a disguise but then let the girls know that it's me. They will feel better knowing I'm there. I'm sure of it. I can help direct them and make sure everything goes smoothly."

"Amanda, you have been through a lot. You don't have to be there. The agency can handle it."

"Really? So Francine is going to come play nice with all those girls."

Lee gave her a scolding look and then sighed and said "Okay, let's get you something to eat. I'm sure you must be starving. At the same time we'll go back to my apartment so you can clean up. I think I have a perfect disguise for you."

Amanda looked at Lee and saw him smiling with this private information. She wondered just what he had in mind.

 **TBC**


	31. Chapter 31 - The Perfect Disguise

**Chapter 31 – The Perfect Disguise**

Lee stopped along the way back to his apartment to grab steak and cheese subs for them to eat for lunch. He also stopped at a clothing store and had Amanda wait in the car while he went inside and picked out a nice dress for her. He hated shopping for a woman but he knew that Amanda wasn't in any condition to go inside so he asked her for her size and then went in and made small talk with one of the ladies there and mentioned that he was looking for a party dress for his girlfriend. In no time she had located a really pretty red dress that he knew would look fabulous on Amanda.

He returned to the car and showed it to her for approval.

"Oh Lee, that is much too expensive. You shouldn't have spent all that money. I usually make all my dresses or get them at a consignment shop."

"Amanda, I don't mind. Besides, I'm sure I can get the agency to pay for it anyway."

"Lee, do you think that is right? I mean I don't work full time for the agency."

"Don't worry about it. Let's get you back to my apartment so you can clean up. We need to make sure we are already there before Fedorov arrives."

"I still don't understand how this is going to disguise me though Lee? He is going to know I'm there and there could be trouble."

"No, I still have the perfect diguise for you back at my apartment." 

"What is it?"

"You will have to wait and see." Lee said with a mysterious smile.

He soon had them back at his apartment. They ate the subs and then Lee went to the bathroom and pulled out some items so Amanda could take a shower. He handed her some towels, soap and a robe to put on after she finished showering. She noticed that this one didn't have anything monogrammed on it and for that she was grateful.

While she was taking her shower, Lee went to his bedroom and opened a drawer and smiled to himself as he retrieved his prize and stuffed it into a bag and then carried it back out to his living room. He placed it on the coffee table and then sat down on the sofa to wait for Amanda to come out of the bathroom.

It took Amanda about 40 minutes to scrub the invisible scum off her body that she felt Fedorov had left on her and then she dried off and put on the robe and went out to see what Lee was up to. He sat on his sofa looking like the cat that just ate the canary.

She smiled as she entered the room and asked "Okay, what are you up to?"

"Nothing, just check out the bag."

"Do I dare to?" 

"Amanda! Just do it!" Lee scolded.

Amanda cautiously approached the bag and peered in. "What in the world?" She asked as she carefully pulled the item out. "I can't wear that. What girlfriend of yours left that behind?"

"Why can't you wear it? And no one left it behind. It belongs to me."

"What?! Lee, is there something you aren't telling me? I mean I have heard of men who have these weird fantasizes but you don't strike me as that type."

Lee couldn't help but begin laughing as Amanda stared at him in disbelief. She definitely did not see this side of him. Maybe she had been wrong about him the whole time. As she tried to absorb all of this, Lee finally gave in and told her the truth on why he had such an item in his possession. As he explained, he took the red wig and placed it on Amanda's head.

"You mean, you really did wear this thing?"

"Yes and a sexy shirt too and the hooker even fixed me all up with make up."

"Does Francine know about this?"

"No, and you better not tell her either!" Lee said sternly and then added in a pleading voice "Please don't tell her; she would never let me live it down."

Amanda began chuckling and said "Well it is always nice to have a little dirt on someone you work with."

"Amanda, can we get back to business now?" Lee asked since his joke had backfired on him.

"Oh sure. Of course. Whatever you want Lee. Do I get to see you wear this though? I'll bet you made a hot looking redhead."

"Amanda!"

"Okay, okay, I'll stop." Amanda said with a smug grin as she realized once again she had bested the great Agent Stetson.

 **TBC**


	32. Chapter 32 - The Reunion

**Chapter 32 – The Reunion**

Lee and Amanda finished dressing for the Wedding Reception. As Lee checked out the end result of Amanda's disguise, he said "Well you look pretty good as a redhead. I don't think even Francine would know that it was you in that getup."

"So if I was a little younger, you would date me? I thought you only liked blondes?" Amanda teased.

"Well you know what they say about redheads, right?" Lee teased back.

"No, what?" Amanda asked with a smile.

"Well the saying goes that they are good in bed." Lee answered with a smug grin.

"OH, I thought you were talking about the fact that they have a temper." Amanda answered as Lee's grin vanished.

"Amanda! Shall we get this show on the road?"

"Yeah, I'm ready." Amanda said as she used her hands to smooth down the dress. Lee shook his head as he mused that his teasing hadn't affected her. He couldn't believe how beautiful she looked even as a redhead. He quickly took his eyes off her but put his hand on the small of her back to guide her down to the car. After securing her into the car, Lee got in the driver's side and headed to the Music Hall where Lee knew Fedorov had rented it for the Reception.

Sure enough as they drove up, they saw a good sized bus pulling into the parking lot just in front of them with the girls inside. Lee noticed that there were several agents posted around the building and a few in the parking lot. As he pulled in behind the bus, one nodded to him and subtly pointed to a parking spot nearby. Lee nodded back and then parked in the spot. The car that in front suddenly made a noise and its trunk opened on its own. Amanda looked at Lee with a little fear in her eyes and Lee squeezed her arm and said quietly "It's okay, they are on our side."

Lee got out and walked over to the trunk where he found a bag of white hats. Billy had done well getting them with such short notice. Hopefully they looked close enough to what Fedorov had gotten for the girls that no one would notice the difference. Amanda had followed him to the trunk and when she saw the hats, she understood what the plan was.

"Amanda, I'm going to need your help with this."

"What do you want me to do?" Amanda asked anxiously as she noticed that the girls had their white hats already and they did look remarkably like the ones that were in the trunk.

"We need to exchange all those hats with these. We need to do it so that no one notices it is happening though. I think I will have one of my agents cause a disturbance which will allow you to sneak onto the bus and reassure the girls that you are okay and then swap the hats quickly and bring them back out here. We want to transport them as far away from here as we can before those bombs can go off. Do you think you can do it?"

"Lee, I can try."

"Okay. Hang on; let me go ask Stevie for some help." Lee walked over near an agent and then kneeled down to retie his shoes. From a distance, it was not noticeable that Lee was talking to the man. Then the man gave a slight nod and walked over to the bus to talk to the bus driver. In no time, the driver had exited the bus and was in a heated argument with Stevie. Amanda grabbed the hats and quickly entered the bus.

The girls were watching the bus driver and didn't notice Amanda at first. She cleared her throat to get their attention.

"Ladies, we need to stay quiet and calm. I hope you remember me. I'm Amanda." Before she could say anything else, Vera, Sara and Nadine all left their seats and rushed up to hug her.

Nadine was the first to speak and said "We heard that Fedorov had you tied up and intended to kill you. Look at your hair, what did he do to you?"

"It is just a disguise and I don't have time to explain. He doesn't know I escaped so not a word, okay?"

"Of course!" all the girls said at once.

"Okay, I need you all to swap the hat you are wearing for one of these." Amanda said as she raised the hats so all could see them. In just a few minutes, all the hats had been exchanged and Amanda could see by Lee's anxious face that she was running out of time.

"Okay, I have to go before your driver comes back inside. I will be at the party with all of you though. Fedorov has some evil plans for tonight involving all of you but as long as you listen to my directions and follow through with them, we will keep you safe, okay?" Amanda reassured them.

"Yes Amanda!" the girls all chorused as Amanda rushed off the bus. She weaved back through the parking lot while using the cars as a way to hide the hats. Lee had a big smile when he saw that she had all the hats. He put them into the same trunk the others had come out of it, closed the trunk cover and then slapped it. The car started and quickly lurched forward and was gone. So far the plan was working perfectly. What could possibly go wrong? This whole plan was working perfectly!

 **TBC**


	33. Chapter 33 - Care to Dance?

**Chapter 33 – Care to Dance?**

After the agency car was gone, Lee turned to Amanda and said "I think that we should go in as a couple. If Fedorov says anything, I can tell him that I was told I could bring my girlfriend, okay?"

Amanda was relieved that Lee would be next to her so she said "That sounds okay." She didn't want him to realize how scared she truly was. After hearing this crazy man tell her his plans, she realized just how much danger she had been in and was thankful that Lee had found her. How did he find her anyway? Somehow he always seemed to be able to do that when she needed him most.

He held out his hand and Amanda put her hand into his and they walked slowly into the building. It was all decorated up with flowers everywhere and wedding decorations hanging from the ceiling and even off the walls. The wedding party table was up in the front of the room while round tables that seated 6 each had been placed around the back of the room. In between the two sections was a huge dance floor. Several of the guests had made their way inside and were sitting at the tables. Lee noticed right away that his plan was working. In fact, he couldn't believe how well Leatherneck had done. Slowly more of the Senators made their way into the room and took seats that had been reserved for them with placards. As Senator Turner walked into the room, Amanda greeted him. "Hi Bob, I didn't expect to see you here."

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" Senator Turner asked as he looked at Amanda. He then noticed Lee giving him a dirty look and said "I'm sorry, you know I just have so many people who talk to me daily in my job that I am bound to forget a few now and then."

"But Bob, your son Jason goes to the same school as my son Phillip and they play on the Bombers baseball team together. I'm Mrs. King."

"Oh dear, of course you are." Senator Turner said as he bent to kiss her hand. "It is nice to see you here. Do you know the Groom or the Bride?"

"I guess both. I'm friends with the Bride though." Amanda answered.

"Oh, I see. Well there is Senator Douglas. I should go say hi. Nice to see you again Mrs. King." Senator Turner said as he quickly turned away.

"Lee! Something isn't right here."

"What do you mean Amanda?" Lee asked while looking confused.

"I mean, something is going on. Do you recognize that woman over there?"

"Of course, that's Sally Pearson. I believe she is up for re-election for her seat in Congress."

"That's not her though."

"What do you mean? Of course it is her Amanda."

"No, it's not. It looks like her. The person is even doing a good job of acting like her with all the flinging of her hands but it isn't her."

"Amanda, how do you know it isn't her?"

"Because Sally Pearson never goes anywhere without her little terrier dog."

"So that's how you know it isn't her? Amanda, maybe they told her no dogs here."

"No, if they had, she would have refused to come. She doesn't go anywhere without her dog. Look, I know her. She plays bridge with my Mother once in a while and my Mother is always complaining about the dog. They asked her to keep it home during the games and she threw a fit. She insisted that it never stays home. She even takes it into the White House with her."

Lee sighed. "Okay, well keep your voice down."

"Why? Shouldn't we let someone know?"

"We already do know."

"What are you talking about Lee?"

"We already do know. I had Leatherneck find impersonators for every single Politician on the guest list. We couldn't take the chance of Fedorov wiping out all these important people. We intercepted all of those invites so none of them even know any of this is happening. Since some of them are close friends with Fedorov, we needed to make sure he wasn't alerted. I'm hoping that he doesn't get close to any of the ones he knows because if you noticed the differences, he likely will too."

Billy walked into the room at that moment and approached them. "Hi, you are a very beautiful woman. I am wondering if you would give me the honor of a dance?"

Amanda looked at Lee who gave a quick nod and she said "Of course. I would love to dance."

Billy led her onto the dance floor and they began dancing close to each other. "Sorry, it was the only way I could think of to get some information to Scarecrow."

"No problem Sir. What's the news?"

"We checked over the hats that you took from the girls and some of them had bombs but others did not."

"So he only hid bombs in some of them because he didn't need to hide them in all of them since the ones he did hide will be enough to blow up the whole building?" Amanda ventured a guess why.

"Well that is possible but we think he ended up removing part of them and has hidden them in this building."

"You mean to say that there are bombs hidden in this building somewhere?" Amanda repeated what Billy just said as she pulled her head off his shoulder to look him into the eyes.

"I'm afraid so. I need to let Scarecrow know. It is impossible for us to not look suspicious by looking for them. We will need to readjust our plans instead."

"Since all these people are impersonators, couldn't we just all leave before the bombs are meant to go off?"

"Well that would be ideal but some of these people are real. We only replaced the Politicians. The rest of the guest list consisted of people he knew from his travels. Since we don't know most of them, we couldn't have possibly found people who could convince Fedorov even from a distance that they were who they appeared to be. So in the end, we chose not to stop them from coming so they are here. Besides, we can't just leave; we need Fedorov here and for him to start what he has planned or else we can't make the charges stick and we won't be able to throw him out of the country. We would also be the laughing stock if we had him this close and then let him get away."

"So what is the new plan?" Amanda asked.

"I don't know yet."

"What do you mean you don't know yet, Sir?"

"I mean, I need Scarecrow to come up with one. So go back and tell him what is going on and see what he thinks we should do."

"Yes Sir." Amanda said as the music stopped. "Thank you for the dance Sir." Amanda said out loud for anyone watching. She then walked back to Lee. Lee had not really paid attention to Billy and Amanda but instead was noticing all the great impersonators that had arrived. He had no idea that Leatherneck would be able to work with so many agents and have them be able to not only look like who they were supposed to be but also act like it. He would have to tell him what a great job he did later after it was all over. Some of the people arriving were not familiar though and Lee knew that it was people from the Fedorov's walk of life that they were not able to do anything about. It didn't matter though because the hats were safely gone so now it was just a matter of finishing the trap for Fedorov, making the arrest and getting him removed from the country.

As the next song began playing, Amanda said quietly "Ask me to Dance."

"Now? Amanda, Fedorov should be arriving soon."

"I know Lee; that is why we have to dance."

Lee looked at Amanda with his confused look again and then sighed. "Just ask me" Amanda insisted in a low voice.

"Would you care to dance?" Lee asked loudly enough so that people around would hear him.

"I thought you would never ask" Amanda replied as Lee led her to the dance floor. As they danced closely with Amanda's head on his shoulder, Amanda said into his ear "Billy says that some of the hats were missing bombs and he thinks that they have been hidden in this building."

Lee stopped dancing and pulled her in front of him so he could see her eyes. Amanda quickly put her arms around him and got him to begin dancing again before anyone noticed the unusual dance behavior.

"Does he know where the bombs are?" Lee asked.

"No, he said it would draw too much suspicion if they tried to look with all the people here."

"So what is his plan?" Lee asked.

"He doesn't have one."

Lee stopped dancing for a second to look at her and then realized he needed to keep going so he did. "What do you mean, he doesn't have a plan?"

"He wants you to come up with one."

Lee shook his head as he continued dancing. What just happened? How did Fedorov know to take out some of the bombs and plant them elsewhere? How in the world was he going to keep this thing going long enough to arrest Fedorov while not blowing all of them to pieces? Worse yet, what happened to his perfect plan?

 **TBC**


	34. Chapter 34 - From Woman to Man

**Chapter 34 – From Woman to Man**

The music ended and Lee led Amanda off the dance floor. Just as they were about to sit down so Lee could think about their next moves, Fedorov rushed into the room while dragging a reluctant Becca. Amanda reacted as soon as she saw how upset Becca looked and began to get up but Lee grabbed her arm and shook his head. He knew she was upset to see Fedorov's death grip on Becca but there was nothing they could do about it. Hopefully soon she would be free of him.

Fedorov walked to the middle of the dance floor and said loudly "Welcome my friends and guests. I'm so glad you all could make it. Let me introduce to you my lovely new wife. This is Rebecca Lynn Fedorov. I'm sorry it wasn't possible for you all to attend my wedding but I'm glad you all came to help us celebrate. After tonight's activities, hopefully we will have more cause for celebration with an expectancy announcement as my blushing young wife has agreed to help me have a son. She's quite the tiger in bed too so it should be fun trying if nothing more. But for now, we want each of you to have a great time eating, drinking and dancing. Later on, we will have some lovely fireworks which will help this whole wonderful day end with a bang." Fedorov finished with an evil smile.

Fedorov then pulled Rebecca into his arms and forced her to kiss him in front of everyone. Lee looked around and could see that even the real guests seemed uncomfortable with the way Fedorov was treating Becca. At that moment a big man who Lee didn't recognize strode in and walked up to the microphone that had been set up. "Hi all, my name is Don. I've known Aleksandr now for at least 10 years. He has saved my life countless of times and I was pleased to be his best man today. I want to toast this man who always seems to come out on top and who I have the utmost respect for. I wish him and his beautiful bride many years of happiness." Don then grabbed a glass off a tray as one of the waiters walked by and lifted his glass in a toast. Everyone else copied him while Fedorov stood holding onto Becca and making sure she stayed by his side. After the toast was over, he dragged her to their table and pulled out a chair for her to sit down. Becca looked like she was ready for a fight but she did sit down. Lee silently hoped that she would be a little more cooperative with him but he knew that Fedorov was also a pervert who liked that she was fighting him. He was sure that by this time, Fedorov was probably getting pretty turned on by it in fact. Lee just hoped he wouldn't try to leave the party early.

After making sure Becca was seated; Fedorov began walking around the floor to meet people. Lee knew that this was not a good idea and soon the other agents realized it too so many of them headed outside to get some air. That mostly left the real guests behind and it kept him busy. When he got to Lee and Amanda; he looked at Lee strangely. "Lee; who is this woman? I don't recall her working for me."

"Oh she doesn't. She's my girlfriend. She's been dying to meet you every since she heard that I got the job at the house."

"Oh really.?" Fedorov said suddenly with interest. He picked up Amanda's hand and kissed it while looking her in the eyes. Lee hoped that Amanda's makeup was enough to fool him. Thankfully it seemed to be because soon he had not only begun flirting with her but then insisted on dancing with her. Lee was truly amazed that he did nothing to hide his behavior from the rest of the guests or from Lee. He didn't even ask Amanda what her name was because he was so intent on coming on to her sexually. He brought Amanda out to the dance floor and forced his body airtight to hers as he danced. It was obvious that he was very turned on and it made Amanda extremely uncomfortable. "You know, I believe in an open marriage." He said as he stroked her back. "Beautiful women turn me on and I don't think any man should be tied down to just one."

Amanda was trying not to speak so her voice wouldn't give her away. He took her silence as an agreement and began rubbing his lower body against hers. Amanda was totally disgusted by this man but couldn't figure out a way to get away from him without blowing her cover so she could only try to push him off her a little so that that their lower bodies were not making contact. He grinned down at her and said "I love redheads. I have had some of the best sex with them. They definitely live up to their names most of the time. I'll bet you do too. I'll bet you are a mountain cat in the sack, aren't you? I need to save my sperm for my wife tonight so she can put a little son in her oven but why don't we plan some time together for tomorrow afternoon and night. Surely you don't care about your boyfriend since you came to dance with me. I can tell when I turn a woman on after all. You can even tell him that you have a headache and leave at the same time that we do. If you need a ride, I have a driver who can take you home. What do you say?" Fedorov said as he nuzzled her neck with his mouth and then his tongue began finding its way up to her jawbone. Amanda couldn't take any more and she shoved him hard so that he fell to the floor. She said in a voice that was hard to recognize "I'm sorry, I have to go to the bathroom." She then rushed to the Ladies room.

After checking to make sure the bathroom was free of people, Amanda locked the door so no one could come in. She then grabbed a towel and a bar of soap off the cabinet by the sink and proceeded to first soak the towel in the sink and then rub the bar of soap onto it. After it had lathered for a few seconds, she used the towel to scrub the slime off her neck. She honestly didn't know how any of those girls had managed to keep their wits when they were with him. He made her skin crawl. Suddenly there was a knock on the door and Amanda panicked.

"Amanda, it's only me. Are you okay? Can I come in?" Lee asked.

Amanda rushed to the door and unlocked it. As Lee came inside, she couldn't help it as she flung herself into his arms and began weeping. Lee quickly locked the door and held her for a few minutes before gently pulling her away from him and looking her over. "Did he hurt you?"

"No, not physically but there really is something wrong with him. He just told me that he believes in open marriage so he wants me to join him tomorrow after he attempts to impregnate Becca tonight. He even suggested that I fake a headache and leave early and his driver could take me home. Lee, he was all over me. He had himself pushed up against me so I could feel his arousal. What man does that? I have never met anyone as disgusting as him. Lee, I don't know if I can keep doing this. I should have dressed as a man." Amanda said finally. It wasn't meant as a joke but Lee found himself smiling at the thought and as he smiled, it made her smile to realize what she had said.

"That's it!" Lee exclaimed suddenly.

"What's it?"

"I'll go back out there and tell him that you have a headache and took a cab home. Meanwhile, I'll have Billy grab some men's clothes and we'll dress you as a man. You can be one of the security men who were hired for the wedding. You just need to let the girls all know that you changed disguises. I'm sure he will be bringing them in anytime now if he hasn't yet. He should leave you alone and that will give you a chance to communicate with the girls without him constantly interrupting you. Wait here and I'll go set this thing in motion." Amanda followed him to the door and locked it behind him.

It seemed like Lee was gone for an eternity as Amanda waited for him in the bathroom. Several times women had tried to come in only to find that the door was locked. Luckily there was another bathroom across the hall so the ladies would soon go use that one instead.

"Amanda, unlock the door." Lee said and Amanda quickly complied.

"Okay, it is all set. I made a big display about how you had to go home because you weren't feeling well. Billy was able to gather some clothes off other agents that would fit you. Here try these on." Lee said as he handed her a suit jacket, tie and pants along with socks and shoes. She stared at him because it wasn't like there was a stall where she could get dressed where he couldn't see her naked. He suddenly came to as to why she wasn't hurrying up and offered to leave the room. She unlocked the door and after making sure the coast was clear, he stepped outside. A few minutes later she unlocked the door so he could come back inside. He barely recognized her.

"What do I do about my hair?" Amanda asked. Her natural hair was too long so even while wearing man's clothing, she still looked a female because of her hair. Lee thought about it for a few minutes and then said "Wait right here." A few minutes later he came back in carrying a hat. "Here put this on." Lee said as he handed it to her. "But Lee, no one else is wearing a hat." Amanda protested. "Awww, but they are now. I had Billy give out hats to several of the agents who are acting as hired Security officers. You will fit in now."

Amanda smiled as she adjusted the hat on her head while making sure that her hair was hidden inside. "How do I look?"

"Like a man." Lee said with a smile. Amanda couldn't help but giggle at the comment that she knew was meant to ease the tension a little. She then realized that she wouldn't be able to touch him anymore. She was glad they got to dance before Fedorov arrived. "Let's go." Lee suddenly said and snapped Amanda out of her thoughts. Lee walked out first and then a few seconds later Amanda joined him. The party was in full swing with many people out on the dance floor. The girls had been brought in and each of them was dancing with a Politician. Lee nodded at Amanda and she took note and headed out to the dance floor. She walked over to where Nadine was dancing with Bob Turner and waited for the dance to end. As the music stopped, Bob hurried back to his seat while Nadine stayed on the floor. "Nadine, don't turn around. I just wanted to let you know that there has been a change of plans and I'm now dressed as one of the security men."

"Oh thank God Amanda. We had worried that he had realized who you were and had you killed. He told us that we have to stay on the dance floor the whole time and keep dancing. He said it was important to keep the Politicians as close to this area as possible. Oh, he's looking at me now so I better go grab another one." Nadine rushed off to grab a new dance partner while Amanda absorbed what had been said. What if Fedorov was worried that the bombs in the hats were too small to do enough damage so he planted the bombs around the dance floor too in hopes of collapsing that whole area and killing them from both the explosion and from the people falling down into the basement? She walked back over near Lee and told him without looking at him what Nadine had said and what she had come up with. Lee shook his head and said "Those bombs should be powerful enough to take down this whole building. Let me go look around the dance floor a bit. You stay here, okay?"

Amanda nodded as she watched Lee walk over to the dance floor. To the average person, it looked like he was just watching everyone dance and enjoying himself but Amanda could tell that he was finding something. After a few minutes, he walked back near her and said "That floor is so rigged with explosives that he is taking no chances that anyone will survive. I guess he must be worried that the hat bombs won't work or that the girls will take their hats off."

"What do we do?" Amanda asked.

"We do nothing. I need to go find Billy. I want you to stay right here. It's 9:30 so if he stays with the original plan, he will be leaving in 30 minutes. I need to find out if Billy has enough information to take him into custody or not yet."

"Lee? What exactly do we need to do that?"

"I'm not sure Amanda. I just know we can't make any wrong moves. We have once chance and one chance only. It is important we don't blow this." Lee said as he headed outside to find Billy.

"Yeah and it is important that we don't blow up too." Amanda said quietly to his retreating back.

 **TBC**


	35. Chapter 35 - A Twist of Fate

**Chapter 35 – A Twist of Fate**

As Amanda waited for Lee to come back, she tried to see where Fedorov was. That was when she saw it; Vera had left the dance floor and was over flirting with him. Becca was still seated and looked miserable while Fedorov and Vera were off in the corner. Vera had undone her top so that her cleavage could be seen and she was currently rubbing her hands over his chest as she smiled seductively at him. What was she doing? Amanda decided to see if she could get closer to hear what they were saying and she tried to walk unnoticed over to the area. As she got closer, she heard Vera say "You know you always loved me most. I took good care of you while we were together. I don't know why you didn't want to marry me."

"Oh Vera, I couldn't marry you. I needed someone with a different background than you have but it doesn't mean that we can't still have fun together. I definitely enjoyed our time together. Look, in about 30 minutes, I have to leave. Why don't you come with us?"

"With you and your new bride? How would that look?" Vera asked.

Amamda didn't know if Vera was really serious or if she was setting him up but she was keeping him occupied so that he didn't notice all the impersonators in the room. She made herself focus on their conversation again.

"I don't give a damn how it looks. What I do is none of anyone's business." Fedorov exclaimed angrily.

"Oh Sweetie, don't get upset. I know how to make you relax. You remember how I used to help make you relax?" Vera said as reached up and stroked his face with her hand. Soon her mouth took the place of her hand as she trailed kisses up his neck and onto his cheek and then slowly lingering over his mouth. Fedorov couldn't take the teasing and pushed her into the corner so his back was to the crowd and passionately kissed her. When they both were out of breath, he said "I want you. You have to come with us. If you don't, you will be killed."

"What do you mean?" Vera asked angrily. "Why would you kill me for not coming with you when it was you who chose to marry that other woman?"

"Vera, everyone here is going to die. Trust me, you have to follow me. I can have a driver bring you in a separate car but I don't want to lose you."

"I don't understand." Vera said.

"You don't need to understand. You just need to obey me." Fedorov answered sharply.

"You know that I have always obeyed you but why would you kill my friends? I need to know what they did to make you so upset with them?" Vera asked.

"Oh sweetie, I'm not upset with them. Their purpose in my life is over though and I can't take care of them anymore. Do you see who the guests are in this room? They are my enemies. They all think I'm their friend but really they all could harm me in different ways. I have planned this day for a long time and now it is finally happening. In one moment, all of my enemies will be gone."

"But so will a lot of innocent people." Vera reminded him.

"Sometimes innocent people must be sacrificed for the good of the cause Fedorov answered. "Look, are you coming with me or not?"

Vera kissed him again and said "Yes, of course. When do we leave?"

"Very shortly. I just need to go take care of a few more things." Fedorov said. "Since you know what is going on, why don't you come with me so I can keep an eye on you?"

"You don't trust me?"

"Honey, I don't trust anyone but myself." Fedorov said as he pushed her ahead of him.

SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK

Lee had left the party and gone outside to find Billy. Agent Timson pointed to a black car that was parked near the entrance to the parking lot when Lee inquired where he was. Lee slipped into the car after making sure the coast was clear.

"Lee? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at the party keeping an eye on things?"

"We have another problem. It looks like Fedorov decided the hats were not enough and has rigged the entire dance floor with enough explosives to probably take out the whole town."

"I was afraid of that so I decided to move forward with another idea that Francine had come up with."

"OH? What idea is that?"

"Well since Vera has a past and since you were able to use her to help you get the address where Amanda was, we decided to see if she could get Fedorov to talk. We asked for her help and told her a little of what was happening and she agreed. She's wearing a wire. I was just listening to their conversation as you entered my car." Billy turned up the volume and they listened to Fedorov spill out the plan to Vera.

"Billy, I have to get back in there. Amanda doesn't know that Vera is involved and might try to rescue her." Lee said as he hurriedly exited the car. As he entered the party again, he frantically began looking for Amanda. Where was she? He had expected her to stay where he had left her though he knew he should know better by now. His eyes darted throughout the room and then he finally spotted her; she was trying to stay as close to Fedorov and Vera as she could. He wondered if she had overheard the conversation between the two of them. It was unsafe for an untrained person to be that close though and Lee knew that it could all go bad quickly. He had to figure out a way to get Amanda out of there quickly.

Meanwhile, Fedorov had walked up to Senator Cliff Munson and begun talking to him. Lee watched him as he knew that this could mean trouble. Sure enough, it only took a few seconds for Fedorov to realize that this was not the real Senator Munson and suddenly he started looking around the room at the other people. Don suddenly appeared out of nowhere and pulled Fedorov aside. Lee saw him take an item out of a bag and show it to Fedorov. It was the red wig that Amanda had left behind in the woman's room when she turned into a man. Fedorov's head came up just as Amanda walked by trying to get closer. Lee watched as the two of them locked eyes. It seemed like hours that they stared at each other but it was only seconds and Fedorov then suddenly grabbed her and twisted an arm behind her back while yelling out to the crowd "Okay, so you all think you are pretty smart huh? Don't anyone make a move or else this woman gets killed. Yes, this is a woman. A fascinating one who managed to fool me but I'll deal with her later. In the meantime, I'm going to leave all of you to finish this party without me. Since I don't know who is involved, I won't be inviting any of you along to continue my wedding celebrations; in fact, you can even keep my the new bride. I think Amanda will make me happier than her anyway."

Fedorov removed a gun from his pocket and shoved it into Amanda's back and then looked at Lee and said "Don't get any ideas about following your girlfriend Lee. Of course she might not even be your girlfriend. I don't care who she is, she is going to help me get away safely.

Lee watched helplessly as Fedorov realized that Amanda was a woman instead of a male and grabbed her around the neck with his arm. His heart sunk as he realized there was nothing he could do at the moment to save her.

"Let her go" Lee demanded in an attempt to do something.

"Let her go? I don't think so. This woman has fascinated me since I first saw her. I wish I had met her before I met Becca but no matter. So Pretty Boy, why don't you take a seat? In fact, why don't all of you take a seat."

The fake guests did as Fedorov said but the real guests still hadn't figured out if this whole scene was real and why it was happening so they stood staring at Fedorov. Suddenly he erupted and said "NOW!"

Everyone scurried to find an empty seat and some of the ladies began to cry.

"Much better. So I'm going to lock you all in. I would like you all to stay here and behave but I'm sure you will try to figure out how to get out as soon as I'm gone. This woman has apparently had a hand in ruining what I have planned for years but I will take care of her later. I would highly suggest that no one try to follow us."

Lee was watching Amanda and could see the fear in her eyes and Fedorov flung her around like a ragdoll. Amanda was also looking for Lee and when she finally found him, their eyes met and Lee tried to reassure her that he would come for her. He wasn't sure it worked but he was sure she understood. She seemed to relax a little and not fight Fedorov. Soon Fedorov backed both of them out of the room while saying to his real security team "Don't let them out. Make them stay here." He then turned around and fled.

It took only a matter of minutes for the agents posing as security guards to overpower the real ones and have them under control and Lee rushed outside to see Fedorov's car squealing out of the parking lot. Billy met him as he headed for the car that Leatherneck had lent to him.

"I'm sorry Lee, he had Amanda. I didn't want to take a chance that he would shoot her."

"I know, I know. I'm going after them. Billy, get a bomb squad down here to deal with those explosives."

"They are already on the way. We'll get everyone out safely. Where is Becca?"

"He left her. She should be still inside somewhere. I have to go."

"Okay, be careful Lee."

"Aren't I always?" Lee said seriously as he backed up and nearly hit another agent and then squealed out of the parking lot after Fedorov.

"No, pretty much never." Billy answered to the disappearing car as he headed inside to try to organize getting everyone out safely.

 **TBC**


	36. Chapt 36-Leatherneck is Going to Kill Me

**Chapter 36 – Leatherneck is Going to Kill Me**

Lee headed out after Amanda and Fedorov. He knew that if he didn't find them, that Amanda would likely never be seen alive again. He needed to find her. His heart was racing as he raced in the direction that Fedorov had headed. He couldn't believe his luck when he suddenly saw the taillights of the car. He decided that the only real choice he had was to ram him off the road.

Thankfully the road was currently deserted so Lee pushed onto the gas pedal and brought his car even with Fedorov's and then turned the wheel as hard as he could to smash the car into Fedorov's. Fedorov saw what he was up to though and slammed on the brakes which forced Lee's car into a 360 degree turn in the middle of the road. Lee didn't hesitate as he slammed his foot onto the gas pedal and headed for the front of Fedorov's car. He knew that Amanda would never have gotten into a car without buckling her seatbelt no matter whether she was a hostage or not.

Once again, Fedorov predicted his move and quickly swerved right and took a side road. Lee chased after him. Soon he was on his bumper and he sped up and slammed into it. Fedorov's car lurched forward but kept going. Lee turned the wheel sharply to force his car once again to be side by side with Fedorov's and they began playing bumper cars down the little side road. Lee could see that the road was going to come out onto an intersection soon so he tried to inch forward to cut Fedorov off but once again Fedorov predicted his move and also stepped harder on his gas pedal. The two cars raced neck to neck to the intersection and came through it just as a large city truck was passing by. At the last minute the two cars separated and both went a different way around the truck which stopped in the middle of the road as soon as the driver saw the two cars coming at him. As Lee came around the truck, he saw that Fedorov had taken a left onto another road. Lee swung into a driveway and then backed up and raced after him.

Since bumping the car hadn't worked, Lee knew he needed to do something more drastic. There was a side road that ran parallel to the road Fedorov was on so Lee took it and sped up. Keeping an eye on Fedorov's car, Lee was soon ahead of him. He wasn't sure that Fedorov noticed him and hoped he hadn't. As the side road came back onto the main road, Lee turned the car sharply and blocked the middle of the road and then jumped out of the car just as Fedorov came flying through the area and smashed into the car; sending it flying with pieces of metal coming off from both cars into the air. Lee had rolled as he jumped and he immediately got up with his gun drawn and ran to the driver's side and shouted "Get your hands where I can see them scum."

Fedorov started to reach for his gun which was on the seat and Amanda took her hand and shoved it off onto the floorboard.

"Come on, get out of there." Lee demanded.

Fedorov reluctantly obeyed. "All of this over this woman? She must be some woman." Fedorov mused as he shook his head.

"Move over there." Lee instructed and then he made him lay down and put his hands behind his back so he could cuff him. After he was secured, Lee got up and walked over to the car where Amanda was just getting out. "Are you okay?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Thanks for saving me."

"I couldn't let him get away with stealing my girlfriend, could I?" Lee asked with a smile. Amanda smiled back and asked "Is it over? Is everyone safe?"

"They should be. Billy was getting a bomb squad in as I was leaving to go after you while they were evacuating the building."

"Is Becca okay?"

"I'm sure she will need some therapy which the agency can help with but she should be okay. I'm sure Floyd will be thrilled to have his daughter back."

"Lee, I have just one more question."

"What's that Amanda?"

"Your car is demolished. How are we getting back to the agency with him?" Amanda asked as she pointed to Fedorov who was lying on the ground a few feet away.

"My car? Oh no, Leatherneck is going to kill me. He told me to be careful with that car. I'll tell him you were driving." Lee said with a wink.

"I don't think so buster."

"Really? You wouldn't take the fall for your partner?"

"Oh, so now I'm your partner?"

"Well, maybe, if you tell Leatherneck it was you."

"I think I'll pass. Oh, here comes Billy. I think we are saved."

"Easy for you to say" Lee said as he swiped his hand through his hair as he surveyed how destroyed the car was. Leatherneck was really going to kill him.

 **TBC**

 **A/N: I wanted to finish the angst part tonight since I have left you hanging so long. I'm truly sorry to all the people who enjoy reading my stories. Sadly my life took a hard turn a couple of months ago and I have had some tough times but hopefully things are finally turning around. I guess the good news is that this in between part of the story got a total rewrite. Most of it didn't originally exist this way. I never intended to do another angst story for this one since I just did one. But as my days grew dark, I suddenly came up with this idea and rewrote all my work. I personally think in the end that it made it a much more interesting story than the original but you will never know since you didn't get to see the original. The good news (or maybe bad if you have enjoyed this story) is that I just have a few chapters left to clear up all the loose ends. Since my job is to fill in the holes SMK left, I sure don't want to leave my own so hopefully you will stick with me in the next few days as I finalize this story. Again, thanks to all who have read this and to the ones who have left me reviews, they always mean a lot. Thanks!**


	37. Chapter 37 - Not Funny?

**Chapter 37 – Not Funny?**

As Billy walked up, he noticed that Lee looked upset. "Are you both okay?" He asked them.

"Yes, thanks for asking Sir. Lee stopped Fedorov and saved me. I'm afraid Lee is a little upset about the car though." Amanda said as she nodded towards the destroyed car.

"Isn't that the car that Leatherneck lent you?" Billy asked.

"Yeah." Lee responded as he swiped his hand through his hair again.

"Oh oh, I wouldn't want to be in your shoes when he sees that."

"I know, I know. Look, there was nothing I could do. It was either use the car or Fedorov would have escaped with Amanda."

"Mrs. King are you sure you are okay?" Billy asked as he winked at her without Lee seeing him.

"Oh yes, I'm fine sir."

"Fedorov didn't hurt you?"

"No, not really. Sir? How is Becca?"

"They are taking her to the agency to stay for the night. Francine offered to let her stay at her place but we thought it might be better for her to bunk in one of the beds that we have at the agency for when agents are too tired to go home."

"I think that would probably be a better idea sir. Amanda agreed. "Lee told me that the agency will provide counseling for her?"

"Yes, the agency has some of the best shrinks on staff and we will make sure she is evaluated and helped to deal with all she has been through."

"What about the other girls? Will they get that same help?" Amanda asked.

"Mrs. King, trust me, we are taking good care of all of them."

"What will happen to them sir?"

"Well after the evaluations, we will be able to determine whether they have a home to go back to. The agency will contact some human services to help with arranging them to reenter society and to patch things up with the people they left behind. The ones who can't go home, we will help them find jobs and get settled where ever they want to go."

"That's great sir." Amanda said with a smile. She was so relieved the girls would be okay.

Lee had finally left the car and walked back over to them.

Billy said "Great job, both of you. Can I give you a lift home, Mrs. King?"

"That would be great." Amanda said quickly.

"Lee, do you want a ride home or are you going to wait for the tow truck so you can go back with it and face Leatherneck now?" Billy asked.

"I might as well face Leatherneck now and get it over with. He is going to kill me for sure."

"Well at least we already have your gravesite picked out." Billy said as he began laughing. Amanda couldn't help but join in nervously because she wasn't sure if Leatherneck would kill Lee.

"That's not Funny Billy!" Lee said as he walked back to the car.

"Will he be okay with Leatherneck?" Amanda asked Billy once Lee was out of the range of hearing.

"He'll be just fine. Leatherneck will enjoy making him squirm a bit though." Billy said as he chuckled again. "Let's get you home."

"Yes Sir!" Amanda agreed.

 **TBC**


	38. Chapter 38 - A Favor

**Chapter 38 – A Favor**

Lee watched as Billy and Amanda drove away and then he swiped his hand through his hair as he once again surveyed the damage to the car that Leatheneck had lent to him. It didn't look that bad, did it? The driver's side was all smashed in from where Fedorov's car had plowed into it. The front bumper had been torn off while they played bumper cars down the road. Lee wasn't sure if there was any part of the car that didn't show dents on it and that final crash had even forced the driver's door to crunch which popped off part of the roof. Even the front of the car was smashed in and the trunk cover was crunched so that it was hard to tell if you would be able to get it open without some sort of tool. OH man, Leatherneck was really going to kill him. Well he would just have to get over it because the car had been sacrificed to save Amanda. Thank God Amanda always wore her seat belt. It likely saved her life.

The tow truck pulled up as Lee was lost in his thoughts. Sammy got out and surveyed the 2 cars.

"Which one is yours?" Sammy asked.

Lee indicated the car and said "You are taking both of them though, right?"

"Of course. Lee, most men stop playing bumper cars when the carnivals don't let them into the ride anymore."

"Very funny. Can you please just get the cars loaded?" Lee said as he nervously swept his hand through his hair again.

"Sure, Sure, I didn't know you were in a hurry. It will just take some time to get both cars onto the truck." Sammy was a pro at his job though and in no time, he had both cars loaded onto his flatbed tow truck. Lee had climbed into the truck cab while he waited and Sammy climbed up inside and asked "Aren't you glad you weren't driving the Porsche?"

"Yeah, I guess that's true." Lee agreed.

Sammy drove to the agency garage and Lee noticed that Leatherneck was standing at the entrance like he was expecting him.

"Where do you want them Leatherneck?" Sammy asked. Leatherneck pointed to a spot outside and Sammy backed to the area and proceeded to unload the cars. Meanwhile Leatherneck watched without saying a word. Lee kept glancing at him while expecting him to erupt but instead he just stood quietly and watched Sammy work. After the cars were pushed into their parking spots on the lot, Sammy had Leatherneck sign an acknowledgement for receipt of the cars, patted Lee's shoulder, and then climbed into his truck cab and took off.

Leatherneck walked all around the car he had lent Lee. His hand caressed several spots where the car was badly damaged and he lovingly patted the hood. He then started to walk back into the garage.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" Lee asked as he followed. "Come on Leatherneck, yell at me. I know you are mad."

"Mad? Me mad? Why would I be mad Lee. I lent you a car. I asked you to be careful with the car. I trusted you with the car. I gave you one of my favorite cars and what did you do? You not only decided to play bumper cars with it but you ended up in a demolition derby with it. NOW why would I ever be mad?"

"Come on Leatherneck, I didn't do it on purpose."

"Oh I'm sure you didn't. From what I understand you never do. Now I had heard that a beautiful new partner of yours was getting you to calm down a little and take things a little easier. I guess she is failing."

"It just so happens that it was because of Amanda that this happened. I used the car to stop her abductor. I likely saved her life. I'm sorry about the car but it was necessary. Now if there is something I can do to make it up to you, just name it. Otherwise, all I can say is that I'm sorry."

"Do you mean that?"

"Yes, I'm sorry." Lee answered.

"No, do you mean that you would be willing to do something to make it up to me?" Leatherneck asked.

"Yes, what do you want?"

"Nothing right now. It just never hurts to have a favor in reserve; you never know when you might need it. At some point I'm sure I'm going to be in trouble and need your help and I would expect you to help me with no questions asked. Is that a fair assumption?"

"Yes, as long as you are not asking me to break the law, it is a fair assumption." Lee agreed.

"Great than it is a deal." Leatherneck said as he held out his hand and the two men shook on it.

"Okay, well I'm going to grab the Porsche and head home. I really need a shower." Lee said.

"Go ahead. She's parked in the corner. I gave her a tune up while she was here. She should be all set to go for another couple hundred miles."

"Thanks Leatherneck." Lee said as he headed to his car. As he got in and drove it out of the garage, he waved at Leatherneck who waved back. After the car turned the corner and was out of sight, Leatherneck proceeded to his office while he whistled. He couldn't help but smile at the memory of Billy calling him and giving him a heads up about the car and how upset Lee was. He was upset at first but then Billy explained what had happened and Leatherneck was glad Lee was able to save Amanda. He had been hearing such nice things about her and she didn't deserve to be hurt. He couldn't let Stetson just walk away without sweating though. That wouldn't be any fun. Besides, you really didn't ever know when you would run into trouble and it didn't hurt to have the Scarecrow owing him a favor to help him out of that trouble. That favor just might end up being a lot more valuable than that car. He chuckled to himself as he went back to work.

 **TBC**


	39. Chapter 39 - A Talk with Billy

**Chapter 39 – A Talk with Billy**

Amanda asked Billy to drop her off down the block from her house just in case her Mother happened to look out the window and see Billy's long black agency car. "Thank you for ride Sir." As the driver stopped the car, Amanda began to say something else and Billy put up a hand to stop her.

"It was my pleasure Mrs. King. I never got a chance to apologize for letting you believe that Lee was dead. I'm sorry that I had to do that." 

"Oh I understand. It had to be real and you were afraid I wouldn't be able to make it real enough if I knew. I think I could have though Sir. I know if Lee ever has to fake a death again, I will just remember how upset I was this time and I know the tears will come automatically."

"You care about him, don't you?"

"Sir? I consider him a friend. I consider you a friend too, Sir. Gosh, my life was so normal before I met all of you. Now I can't imagine going back to that life."

Billy chuckled and said "Yeah, the agency does that to you. You start out just wanting to do something good for the country and then the next thing you know, you realize that this job isn't just a job; it becomes your life. Without it, you feel like you somehow have let everyone down including yourself. You know when I first met you; I just thought you would be good to try to keep Lee from going blind into situations and to maybe calm him down a little. I never expected you to face so many dangerous things and I'm proud of you for continuing to want to stay with it. I know Lee feels like he needs to keep you safe at all times. I'm not sure that he will ever completely feel comfortable having you as a partner or if he will continue to feel like he is your protector but either way, I still think you make a good team. I'm glad you stayed." Billy said with a smile.

"I'm glad I stayed too Sir." Amanda said as she leaned over and kissed Billy on the cheek. "You are a good man Mr. Melrose; a good, honest, decent man. You care about Lee too, don't you?"

"Yes, Lee has had a hard life. There are a lot of demons in his past and he fights them every day. Some of them I know about, others he doesn't share. Someday, hopefully he will win the war against all of those past memories but until then, he will continue to try to shut people out. There is something about you though Amanda. I watch him with you and I can see the change in him. He is fighting against it but I think it is the Motherly way you are with him. He never had a real Mother growing up. He lost his at an early age. I think you offer him something that he has sought out all his life for. He just doesn't understand it. His demons from his past will continue to surface though. I hope you will be able to help him face them and conquer them."

"I will do my best Sir. He told me that his Uncle had brought him up. He sounds very bitter about that time of his life."

"He is. Just part of the demons I mentioned. Don't give up on him Amanda. He is a good man. He will continue to mess up but your influence just might help make that less often though."

"I'm not going anywhere Sir. He doesn't seem to be trying to push me away as much as he used to either. Now if only I could get him to stop dating all those young girls in the steno pool." Amanda said with a scolding look.

Billy chuckled "Okay, that might be crossing the line. Somehow I doubt the days of Lee Stetson being girl crazy are even close to ending. He likes to think of himself as a lady's man too much. He loves the reputation he has and sometimes I wonder if all of it is true."

"What do you mean? Why would the girls lie?"

"Come on Mrs. King. Surely women are no different than men in that department. A man loves to boast when he has something more special than another man. Sometimes that boasting gets out of hand and the stories are embellished a bit. Isn't it possible that the same thing happens with the women that Lee dates? If one doesn't have an exciting date with the Scarecrow, she surely can't let the others know when they all say they did; so she exaggerates just a little. The next one after that is disappointed that her date falls short of that story; so she makes up a little better story and so on."

"But Sir, why would Lee not correct the stories then?"

"And ruin that reputation?" Billy chuckled again. "No Lee Stetson enjoys his reputation whether it is true or not. A man's ego can be a dangerous thing."

"I guess so. Well Sir, I should probably walk to my house and go see my family. Thanks for talking with me."

"It was my pleasure Mrs. King. Keep doing what you are doing. Oh and I booked you for some more classes at the agency starting Friday too, is that okay?"

"Yes Sir, that's great. Thank you Sir."

"You are welcome" Billy said as Amanda quickly hugged him and exited the car. As she began walking home, Billy mused to himself just how lucky they were when Lee handed that package to her at the train station. Maybe someday Lee would finally admit that he believed so too.

 **TBC**


	40. Chapter 40 - 2 Showers

**Chapter 40 – 2 Showers**

"Amanda is that you dear?" Dotty called out as Amanda came through the front door. "Yes Mother, it is only me." Amanda answered as she walked into the kitchen. "Something sure smells good in here."

"I promised the boys that I would make oven fried chicken if they did all their homework. Since they did, I had to keep my promise. Darling, are you okay? You look like you have had a tough day. Do you want to talk about it?"

"No Mother. I'm fine. I just need a nice hot shower. Since you have dinner under control, I think I'll got take one."

"Yes I'm all set; you go ahead and enjoy that shower. I always say that there is nothing better than letting hot water pound down your back to relax your muscles and get your blood flowing."

"You always say that?" Amanda asked with a smile.

"Yes, well, not out loud of course but I think it when I take a nice hot shower." Dotty answered.

Amanda chuckled as she headed up the stairs. She stopped at the boys' room and knocked on their door. "Who is it?" Phillip called out.

"Just your Mother." Amanda answered as Jamie came rushing to open the door. "Mom!, We missed you."

"I know Sweetheart. I'm home now though. Is everything okay?" Amanda asked concerned.

"Yes Mother!" They both echoed at once. Amanda surveyed their looks to see if there was any guilt and after not seeing any, she kissed them both on the forehead and said "I'm going to take a shower. Why don't you go down and see if your Grandmother needs any help."

"Okay" the boys said as they raced down the stairs together. Amanda watched them go and then headed to her room to gather some fresh clothes. She was looking forward to that shower.

SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK

Lee was enjoying the hot water from his shower as it pounded on his bare chest. What a ride this case had turned out to be. It definitely did not go the way he had planned. In the end, that Suburban Housewife had held her own once again and helped save the day. He shook his head while thinking about it. Francine would have never been able to build up enough trust with those girls to accomplish all that Amanda did. She would have maybe been better at dealing with Fedorov but even that had to be done delicately and Amanda just seemed to have the touch.

The water had begun to turn cold so Lee shut it off and stepped out of the tub while wiping himself off with a towel. He had just slipped on a robe when he heard his doorbell ring. He walked over to the door, felt for his gun in its holster on his shoulder and then opened the door while ready to face whatever was coming at him next. Floyd Feller stood in the doorway. He removed his hat and said "I'm sorry Mr. Stetson, did I interrupt your shower?"

"No, I had just gotten out."

"I just got the phone call about Sabrina. Can I come in?"

"Sure, Sure, make yourself at home." Lee said as he motioned to the inside of his apartment.

"Thank you Sir." Floyd said as he walked in and sat down on the couch.

"Sabrina is a remarkable young woman. She will have to work through what has happened while she has been away but I think with the agency's help, she will bounce back."

"I was disappointed they wouldn't let us come to see her tonight but I know she is in good hands."

"Yeah, she needs to rest and have some one on one time with one of our doctors before you see her."

Mr. Stetson, is she really okay? I mean, did he hurt her?"

"I think only she can really answer that. She has had to do things that she likely wouldn't have done by choice but she's a smart woman and I think she will take the experience and do something good from it."

"You are probably right. I can't thank you enough for all your help. I was told that Amanda was able to gain her trust and helped save her."

"Yeah, that's true. If I know Amanda, she will be staying in touch with her for awhile. Mr. Feller; you should know that Sabrina has been going by the name of Becca since she left here."

"Becca? Oh yes, her favorite stuffed animal was named Becca. I wonder why she did that?"

"She hasn't said but it wasn't like we could talk openly most of the time. I'm sure there had to be some reason for it."

"Yes, Sabrina is a very smart young lady. She had to have had her reasons for changing her name. Well I will leave you to whatever it was that you were doing Mr. Stetson. Thanks again for helping me get my daughter out of there." Floyd said as he shook Lee's hand.

"No problem. You know we saved 21 other ladies too. If it wasn't for your information, we wouldn't have known about any of that and a lot of Politicians would have been killed along with all those girls. Your tip saved a lot of lives."

"I'm glad. Will those girls go home to their families too?"

"As many as we can help to transition back will but the others will have help finding new jobs and we'll help them start a new life."

"If I can do anything to help, please let me know."

"Well maybe some of them could get jobs in the building?"

"Maybe, I will see what is available. I really should be going. The wife will be worried. Will you be with Sabrina tomorrow when I get to see her?"

"I'm not sure. Do you want me to be?"

"I think I would like for both you and Amanda to be there; at least at first."

"Okay, I will call Amanda in the morning and have her meet us there."

"Thank you. Good night." Floyd said as he exited the apartment and Lee echoed good night as he left.

Floyd had seemed tired and he definitely could use some sleep. Now that his daughter was safe, hopefully things would be better. It would be good to have Amanda there to help bring the family back together. Amanda seemed to be good at that stuff while Lee didn't have a clue. His experience with Family was very limited so it wasn't always easy to figure out how to deal with others. He was glad that this one seemed to be having a happy ending though.

 **TBC**


	41. Chapter 41 - A New Beginning

**Chapter 41 – A New Beginning**

Amanda had enjoyed a quiet night with her family and then turned in early to catch up on her sleep. She found herself wide awake at 5am so she got up and went downstairs to begin making pancakes for the boys before school. As she was putting the last of them in the oven to keep warm, she heard a knock on her kitchen window and looked up to find herself gazing into Lee's eyes. She couldn't help but smile that he was already there checking up on her. She looked toward the stairs to make sure no one was awake yet and then hurried outside.

"What are you doing here?" She asked.

"I just wanted to see how you are doing." Lee answered.

"I'm okay. Do you know how Becca is?"

"No, I'm going to the office shortly. That's one of the reasons I stopped by. Floyd has asked if we could both be there when they see her for the first time. Do you have any plans this morning?"

"No, I can be there. I'm sure they don't need us though."

"Well I hope not but Becca or actually Sabrina as we should be calling her; has been through a lot."

"Gosh I have known her by Becca this whole time that I had forgotten her real name is Sabrina. Okay, let me get the kids off to school and then I'll come in to the office."

"Sounds good. Amanda, I just want you to know that …."

"AMANDA?! Are you down here?" Amanda's mother yelled out as she began to open the backdoor. Lee immediately dived for the bushes and Amanda turned around and to meet her mother.

"What were you doing outside dear?"

"Oh I just thought I saw an animal outside."

"So you went outside and put yourself at risk. Amanda darling, a wild animal can be very dangerous. This is the suburbs though so I'm shocked that one has come down. I will have to call someone to see if they can trap it and take it off somewhere else. Do you know what kind of animal it was dear?"

"Mother, it is fine. It was just the Ferguson's dog again. I don't think they ever keep him in their yard." Amanda said as she pretended to be busy putting out plates and silverware for the boys. Thankfully at that moment the boys ran down the stairs and soon their excited voices took over the morning conversation. After they were safely on the school bus, Amanda said "Mother, I have to go out for a bit this morning. Do you need anything? I can stop by the grocery store on the way home."

"Do you have a new client already?"

"No, this one is an old client. Well not old as in age but one that I have been helping out for awhile now."

"The snake dear?"

Amanda chuckled and answered "No, not the snake, just a dog."

"Oh Amanda, I don't know how you do it. I'm all set with the market. I went the other day. Will you be home for dinner? I think Dean is due back. Have you called him lately?"

"Oh, Dean. Yeah, I do owe him a phone call. I'll call him when I get back. I gotta run Mother." Amanda said as she kissed her mother's cheek and hurried out the door.

When she reached the agency, she was pleasantly surprised to see that Lee was waiting for her in the Georgetown foyer.

"Thanks for coming." He said with a smile.

"Sure, can I see Becc- I mean Sabrina."

"Yeah, come on. I'll take to her before her parents get here."

Lee and Amanda entered the elevator and immediately heard Mrs Marsten's voice say "Good morning Mr. Stetson and Mrs. King. I heard that you were heroes once again. Good job."

"Oh I don't know about heroes." Amanda said while the first signs of blushing began to appear.

"Call it what you want but I'm glad you saved those girls. I happen to know one of the mothers and she is over the top excited that her daughter is coming home."

"Oh that is good news. I hope they can work things out." Amanda said while her face lit up with a smile.

"I'm sure the agency will help as best they can to keep them on track. That is good news" Lee agreed.

"Have a good day" Mrs. Marsten said as the elevator reached its destination and they got out. Lee walked Amanda to a private room and opened the door while motioning for her to go inside.

"Are you coming in?" Amanda asked as she saw Lee begin to turn away.

"Nah, I'll wait for Floyd. You go spend some time with her."

"Thanks Lee." Amanda said as she stepped into the room and closed the door. Sabrina jumped as she heard the door shut. She had been lost in thought and it startled her but when she saw that it was Amanda, she quickly got to her feet and ran into Amanda's arms. They hugged each other tightly for a minute and then both said at almost the same time "Did he hurt you?"

It made them both giggle and Amanda motioned for Sabrina to sit back down.

"He can't hurt you anymore Sabrina."

"You know my real name?"

"Yes, I knew it all along. You were very brave to do all you did to help us save all those people. I'm really proud of you and I know your parents are too."

"My Parents must hate me."

"Why would they hate you? They love you."

"I put them through so much though. How could they forgive me?"

"Well we parents are pretty forgiving when it comes to our children. It might take some time to work things out but I'll bet they are so glad you are safe that they have already forgiven you."

"Do you think so?"

"I'll be surprised if they haven't. If your father hadn't talked to Lee in the first place, we wouldn't have known where you were or that you were even missing and 21 young women would have been murdered along with some of the most powerful politicians in Washington. Your father loves you and I want you to remember that no matter what happens when you reunite with him, okay?"

"Yeah, okay. I hope you are right."

"I know I'm right" Amanda said with a smile.

There was a knock on the door and Lee poked his head inside. "Can we come in?" He asked.

"Sure!" Amanda said as she took Sabrina's hand in hers and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Sabrina looked at Amanda in a grateful way just as her parents came into the room. They hesitated for only a moment and then opened their arms wide and Sabrina dove into them. The three formed a circle and hugged for several minutes while each of them shed tears. Amanda and Lee looked at each other with questions in their eyes as to whether they should leave but suddenly the trio broke apart and Floyd said "Sabrina, we have been so worried about you. We are both so glad you are okay. You are okay, aren't you? Please tell us the truth."

"I'm okay Dad or at least I will be with a little time. I love you both and I'm sorry for causing such pain to you."

"I'm the one who is sorry. I went too far and I drove you away. Please say you will come home while you work through everything?"

"I would like that."

Mrs. Feller said "I can't believe that you are back. This is such a blessed day. We both have been so scared. We love you so much Sabrina or is it Becca now?"

Sabrina smiled and said "No, Becca is gone. I was so scared after I left home. I knew I was letting my emotions get the best of me and that I should let things cool off and then talk to you both but once I was on the road, my pride got in the way. All the stories I have ever read always said you should come up with a fake name if you run away from home. So when I met Fedorov, I panicked and didn't want him to know my real name but had to tell him one; so the first thing that came to mind was my best friend."

"Becca the rabbit"

"Yeah, Becca had always kept me safe in my mind so I hoped taking her name would continue to do so. I'm not proud of what I did and I'm so sorry I hurt you both. I hope you can forgive me."

"Oh Sweetheart, there is nothing to forgive. We are just so happy you are safe and coming home with us. We will work together to make things better and your father will be more tolerant and understanding, won't you Floyd?" Mrs. Feller said with a scolding look at her husband.

"Yes, and you know your mother will kick my butt if I don't." Floyd said as he began chuckling at the thought.

"Well why we don't get you folks to your home then. Sabrina, did the agency give you all the information you needed about future appointments?" Lee asked.

"Yes they did and they even offered me a job?"

"They did?" Amanda came to life as she heard this news. "Doing what?"

"Oh, just some low level stuff for right now. I was told they could use me to help file things and do data entry in the computer. But later if I like it, they will train me to work in the field."

"That's wonderful news!" Amanda exclaimed.

"Amanda, I owe it all to you. You truly are an inspiration. I hope we can stay friends."

"I would like that. Look, you go home right now and spend some time together as a family. Give me a call in a few days and let me know how you are doing, okay?"

"That sounds good. Thank you Amanda and Lee."

"You are welcome!" They echoed together.

"There is one thing I don't understand though." Amanda said with a concern of curiosity in her voice.

"What's that?" Sabrina asked.

"When Fedorov was holding me captive, he mentioned that he hoped you would help him gain access to the agency through an Uncle."

"Oh oh, I'm afraid that's my fault. See, I befriend Fedorov when I knew he had my daughter and even helped him get a room in the apartment building. I was trying to get him without help back in the early days so I told him that I had a brother who worked for the agency. I don't actually. He believed me though. I had no idea he was holding onto Sabrina just to go to the agency through my brother."

"Dad! You didn't! Do you realize that was most of why he was able to control me in the early days? I had no idea you were onto who he was and he would make sure I knew about every visit you had. He told me things that only someone who really knew you would have knowledge of. I was so afraid he would kill you so I didn't try to escape."

"Oh Sabrina, I'm sorry. I really messed things up, didn't I?"

"Now now, you fixed them by approaching Lee and asking for help though. Now I think you all have to leave all of this in the past and move forward."

Floyd held out his arms and Sabrina went into them and hugged her dad tight. "Amanda is right, let's move past this, okay Dad?"

"Sounds good to me." Floyd answered as he pulled her out of his arms enough so he could look her in the eyes and then he kissed her cheek. "Let's go home" He said.

"Yes, let's do that." Sabrina answered with a smile.

Lee and Amanda escorted the Feller family into the elevator and then up to the Georgetown foyer.

"I'll call you Amanda." Sabrina said as she hugged her again.

"I'll be expecting your call." Amanda said with a smile. Mrs. Feller wrapped her arms around Amanda and said "Thank you, thank you for all you have done. You have given me back my baby girl. I will never be able to thank you enough."

"Just seeing you all happy is thanks enough."

"You are a very special woman, Amanda King. I hope you will come over some night so we can cook you a homemade meal."

"Oh that isn't necessary. There's no need for all this fuss. Now you all go home and work together."

"Yes!" The three of them echoed. Lee opened the door and the Feller family took the first steps together as a new family with a new beginning.

 **TBC**


	42. Chapter 42 - Great News

**Chapter 42 – Great News**

"Are you available for a couple of hours?" Lee asked Amanda after the door was closed.

"Yes, I can be."

"Good, I need help putting together my report from this assignment and was hoping you could help."

"Sure." Amanda agreed.

They quickly made their way to the Bullpen and as soon as they stepped in, Billy poked his head out of his office and said "Lee, Mrs. King, please step into my office."

He didn't seem angry but Amanda looked at Lee to see if his face showed any emotion as to whether to be worried or not. She should have known that as usual, Lee's face never showed any emotion.

After they were seated in Billy's office, he shut the door and faced them. "We found Dixon's Body at Oak Hill Cemetery and have taken possession of it. Judy helped put me in touch with his family and we are going to have a little ceremony tomorrow and rebury him in his family plot. Can you both be there?"

"Yes Sir" Amanda. Lee reluctantly said "Yeah."

"What's the matter Lee? I thought you would be happy we found the body so the family can move on." 

"Oh I am happy but I hate funerals."

"Gee, I remember you wanting to attend your own."

"Billy! That was different, I was still alive." Lee said with a scornful look at Billy's amused face.

"Sir, does Judy intend to be there."

"Yes, she was happy we found his body. She really cared about him. This funeral will be the start of healing for all of them."

"Okay, well Amanda agreed to help me type up my report so we can close this assignment out so we should go do that if we are going to be going to a funeral tomorrow." Lee suggested.

"Oh Mrs. King, that's a great idea. Lee really stinks at typing out those reports. Maybe I will get this one on time." Billy said as he became amused again at the grimace look that came across Lee's face.

Lee didn't say another word but he helped Amanda out of her chair and then guided her out to his desk. They spent most of the rest of the afternoon working on the report. They were so busy that they didn't notice when Billy snuck by them and out of the office.

"I think we are finally finished!" Lee exclaimed a few hours later.

"I'll see you at the funeral tomorrow then?"

"Yeah, why don't I come pick you up and we can go together?"

"Okay." Amanda agreed as she smiled inside. She knew that Lee really didn't want to go to this funeral. Hopefully he would feel better once he realized how much closure it brought the family. She knew that Judy would be happy to see Lee there.

"I'll walk you out to your car." Lee said. They both walked quietly together out to Amanda's car. Neither of them really had anything more to say as they both just needed time to absorb all that happened the past few days and move on. Amanda believed the funeral would be a good way to begin that process. As Amanda headed home, she wondered how Sabrina was doing. She hoped that she would be able to work things out with her parents and find something that made her happy. Amanda's thoughts turned to her family. She hadn't expected to be gone so long and knew her Mother would be worried since she was supposed to be only going to go walk a dog. She arrived home to find a note on the counter that said that her Mother had gone out for the afternoon at the request of Bonny who insisted that they go shopping together. Amanda smiled because she knew that her Mother hated shopping with Bonny because her tastes were too expensive for her Mother to compete with but Bonny had the best gossip in the neighborhood so her Mother couldn't resist hanging out with her for a day so she could find out more about the new neighbors down the street. At least she would have no knowledge that Amanda had been gone most of the day.

Amanda made herself busy in the kitchen and soon had a meatloaf in the oven. She was going to head up to take a shower when the phone rang. She grabbed the receiver and said "Hello."

"Amanda? Am I calling at a bad time?"

"BEC…I mean Sabrina. No, this is a perfect time. How is everything going?"

"It is going pretty good. My parents are really trying to work with me and even agreed to go see the agency therapist with me in the morning. Amanda, I know you said to wait a couple of days but I was wondering if you had plans on Saturday night?"

"No, not really" Amanda said as she thought about the fact that Dean would want to come over. "Why?"

"I was wondering if we could go skating."

"Oh, well that skating rink was actually something the agency put together, it isn't a real rink and I'm sure it has been shut down now."

"Actually it hasn't been."

"No? how come?"

"That's part of why I want to see you. Amanda, I own it now."

"What? No way!"

"Yes, Billy Melrose stopped by a little while ago and told me that the agency wouldn't have been able to capture Fedorov without me so they wanted to gift the rink to me. It is mine Amanda. Can you believe it? I have never been so excited in my life. I want to hire a few of the girls that Fedorov kept to help me out too. I'm sure you can tell me which ones would work out best."

"I will help you in any way I can Sabrina. I'm so excited for you."

"Thanks Amanda. That means a lot. Well I should probably go and help mom cook dinner. I can't wait to see you on Saturday."

"Me too." Amanda said "Bye for now." Amanda was smiling as she hung up the phone. Leave it to Mr. Melrose to so something nice and not tell any of them his plans.

Her thoughts were interrupted as her Mother and the boys came bounding into the kitchen.

"How did your shopping go Mother?" Amanda asked.

"Oh that Bonny. You would think she was a millionaire the way she buys all those expensive dresses and accessories. What a waste of money it is. You would think she had a money tree outside her back door. Amanda darling, when did you get home?"

"Oh, a while ago now. I have a meatloaf in the oven that should be ready soon so why don't you all get washed up for dinner." Amanda said while quickly changing the subject. Dotty looked at her for a second and realized that she wasn't going to get anything more from her daughter so she headed up the stairs behind her Grandsons. Maybe Amanda had snuck over for an afternoon with Dean and didn't want her to know. Yes, that was probably it. Dotty smiled at the thought. She would have a new Son in Law any day now, she was sure of it.

 **TBC**


	43. Chapter 43 - Closure

**Chapter 43 – Closure**

Lee really hated funerals. He hadn't been to many but there was nothing good about a funeral. The first one that he ever attended was so long ago that he didn't remember it well at all but the bits of pieces that he did remember of it always brought back such sadness. It was the day that he had to say goodbye to his Mom and Dad. More recently was the day he buried his Partner Eric. He found that he didn't know what to say to Eric's wife and child. He saw himself in that little boy as he stood looking at his father's grave and tried to hold back the dam of tears that threatened to burst at any moment. Lee didn't know how to comfort him. He could only give Eric's wife a hug and tell her how sorry he was. It should have been him but that was a memory he wasn't ready to think about yet.

Lee hated to admit that he needed Amanda but he was so glad she had agreed to go with him. She was probably good at these sorts of things. Billy had said she took Lee's funeral really hard. He wondered how many people that she had lost over the years had caused her heartache. When Lee had done the background check so Amanda could join the agency, he discovered that her father had died of a heart attack just a few years ago. Where was her ex-husband? He could have dug into that more but since the man was out of the picture; Lee hadn't cared at the time. Thinking about it now though, Amanda didn't seem the type to get a divorce so maybe the man had really died and Amanda just didn't want to dwell on it. When he had a chance, he would have to look into what happened to him.

Lee shook his head to clear his thoughts. Amanda's personal life was none of his business and he had no idea why he was even thinking about it. He had reached his apartment by now and as he opened the front door, he was overwhelmed with the smell of something heavenly. In his kitchen stood a tall, blonde, long legged dream of a woman.

"Suzi? How did you get in here?"

"You know Lee; you really keep forgetting that some of us agency girls know how to pick locks too."

"So what are you doing here?"

Suzi walked over and wrapped her arms around Lee's neck and nuzzled his cheek with her mouth. "Aren't you glad to see me? I know how busy you have been so I thought I would cook you a nice meal."

Lee pulled Suzi's arms away from his neck and said "I don't mean to sound ungrateful but I'm beat. I grabbed a sub at the café next to the Agency and now I just want to take a shower and go to bed."

"Okay, sounds good to me" Suzi purred in his ear as she tried to hug him again. Lee sidestepped her and walked to the front door and said "Another time, okay?"

"NO! It is not okay. I just spent hours cooking you this meal and now you are just throwing me out? I will make sure the whole Steno pool knows about this Lee Stetson. You will be ruined."

"Oh Suzi, I'm sure you won't tell anyone. It would just make everyone talk about how Lee Stetson didn't want you. Look, I don't mean to hurt your feelings but next time, wait until you are invited, okay?" Lee gently pushed her into the hallway and shut the door before she could say another word. He had heard that Suzi liked to play this game. A good time with her was never free though and it came with a lot of baggage. He didn't need that kind of drama right now. He quickly put her out of his mind and pampered himself with a nice long, hot shower. Later as he curled up in his bed, his thoughts once again turned to Amanda. The funeral he was going to attend tomorrow could have been hers if he hadn't gotten those girls to help him get the information on where Fedorov had stashed her. How would he have handled that? He knew better than to get emotionally involved with anyone he worked with but Amanda was different. In one moment, she could make him so angry and in the next moment, he found himself being grateful that she was around. Would there come a day that he wouldn't be able to find her and save her? His body shuddered as he thought about it. "Knock it off Stetson!" He scolded himself. "You need to get to sleep. Amanda is fine and at home with her family; where she should be."

For 3 hours he laid staring at the ceiling but finally sleep came.

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"Are you okay?" Amanda asked as she looked over at Lee as he was driving them to the gravesite.

"Yeah, I'm fine, why?"

"You don't look fine. In fact you are nearly all white. Lee, are you okay?"

"Amanda, I'm fine. Stop mothering me."

"I'm not mothering you. I'm just worried. Is this all because of Eric? I know that he was your partner and that he meant a lot to you. This funeral is different Lee. This is going to be a funeral to give them closure and to let a body rest finally where it belongs."

"What makes you think this is about Eric?"

"Lee, you never talk about him. I'm sure you know it isn't healthy not to talk about him."

"Amanda, I don't want to talk about it."

"See?"

"Amanda, can we please drop this? Look, I'm not ready to discuss Eric with you or anyone else for that matter. Okay?"

Amanda sighed "Okay, but you know if you change your mind…."

"I know just the Mother that I can go talk to." Lee said as he flashed his best smile at her. It had the desired effect as Amanda started laughing and it broke the tension between them. Lee went back to focusing on his driving as they were pulling into the cemetery. Lee drove the Porsche up to where the other cars were parked and then helped Amanda out of the car. As they walked together to the newly dug grave, Amanda couldn't help but notice the tall, dark haired man who stood beside of Judy. Judy was wiping tears from her eyes as they approached her but immediately put on her best smile as she wrapped her arms in a hug first around Lee and then around Amanda.

"You both are amazing. I heard all about what happened from all the girls. They were so excited and happy to be free but some of them felt they earned the few things Fedorov gave them as gifts so they came back to get them and then they all stopped in to see me and to thank me for all I had done for them."

"What happens now?" Amanda inquired.

"Now, I take possession of the house and we go back to doing things the way my father would have wanted them done" the handsome man beside of Judy said in a deep voice.

Judy said "Oh dear, my manners are awful. Matt, this is Lee Stetson and Amanda King. They were the ones who saved everyone and they were the ones who found out where your father was buried."

"It seems I owe you both a huge thank you then." Matt said in all seriousness as he shook both of their hands.

"Just doing our job" Amanda said before Lee could respond. Lee gave her a scolding look but she smiled at him and then put her hand through Matt's arm and walked him over to the grave. "I wish I could have known your dad. He was a good man Matt. He just got caught up with Fedorov and then couldn't figure out how to become untangled from him. Believe in that and cherish his memories."

"Thanks Amanda. I heard you were a pretty special woman. I can see why now. I think your boyfriend is a little jealous though."

"Boyfriend? Oh Lee? He's not my boyfriend. I just help him out sometimes."

"Could have fooled me" Matt said with a wink and then gently kissed her cheek and walked back over to Judy just as the Minister arrived to give the service.

Lee quickly took over the space that Matt had vacated and they both bowed their heads as the Minister talked about a man that neither them ever got to know but Amanda couldn't help but notice how upset Judy was during the entire service. After it ended, Amanda walked over to her and Judy said "That was beautiful. I think I might finally be able to let all of this go now. Thank you Amanda and Lee for helping us with this closure. You have no idea how much all this meant to us." Judy said while speaking for both her and Matt. Matt walked over to the grave and knelt down and quietly said his goodbyes while Judy gave both Lee and Amanda another huge hug. "You both come visit me anytime you want, okay? Matt has told me that he is adding me onto the Deed of the house so that I will have a place to live for the rest of my life."

"Wow, that's really great." Amanda said as Lee nodded in agreement. "He seems like a good man."

"He is! After all, he's Dixon's son." Judy said with a smile as she wiped the last tears from her eyes.

Matt returned and shook Lee's hand once more and then took Amanda into a light embrace and whispered "Don't let him convince himself that he isn't good enough for you. I know his type. That's exactly what he thinks. Give him time, he will come around."

Amanda started to deny it and Matt gently pulled her out of his arms so he could look her in the eye. "Trust me Amanda. I'm right about these things." He smiled and said "Shall we go Judy?" as he held his arm out to escort her. They then slowly walked to the car.

Just as Lee was going to ask what Matt said to Amanda, Billy walked over. "That seemed to go pretty well, didn't it?" Billy asked.

"Yes Sir" Amanda said. "Thank you for helping to arrange this Sir"

"Oh, it was the least we could do. Well I should get back to the office. Lee, take the rest of the day off. You have earned it. Mrs. King, thanks for all your help. I'm sure we will be in touch again soon."

Amanda walked over to Billy and just like she did the day of Lee's fake funeral, she gently kissed Billy's cheek. "Sabrina called me all excited to tell me what you did for her." She said quietly so only Billy could hear.

"I didn't do anything." Billy said with a smile.

"Thanks Billy. It was really nice of you to do it."

"You are welcome Amanda. She deserved that and so much more. I hope that it helps her get onto her feet and become closer to her family."

"I'm sure it will. You are truly a special man."

"I would say that the fact that Sabrina called you to tell you the next stage of her life; means that you must be a pretty special woman too Amanda. Now go home and enjoy your family."

"Yes Sir!"

Lee had watched the whole exchange with a puzzled look but didn't interrupt. After they were in the car, Amanda explained to him what Billy had done.

"Leave it to Billy Melrose. I should have known there was a reason he disappeared yesterday. Well I for one am happy for her. Will you stay in touch with her?"

"I'm going to meet her at her new place on Saturday."

"OH? Do you need a driver?"

Amanda laughed and said "No, I think we can handle this one on our own. "

Lee pretended to look hurt for a minute and then couldn't resist chuckling with her. He was still smiling after he dropped her off and pulled up to the curb of his apartment building. It was good to be home.

 **TBC**


	44. Chapter 44 - One Day We'll Talk About It

**Chapter 44 – One Day We'll Talk About It**

"Amanda, I'm so glad you could make it. Let me show you around." Sabrina said as she locked arms with Amanda and began leading her toward the bar area.

Amanda had been given Friday off from the agency so she tackled some laundry, did her grocery shopping and spent some time doing some of the housecleaning that had been put on the back burner lately. Sometimes it seemed that life could get a little boring these days when she wasn't working so Amanda was glad to have a night out. She wasn't totally lying when she told her Mother that she was meeting an old friend at the rink to go skating.

"So let me tell you what I think I want to do and then you can tell me if I'm making the right decision, okay?"

"Sure, I'll listen but this is your place Sabrina so whatever is going to make you happy is what you should do."

"I just trust your judgment Amanda."

"That's very sweet Sabrina."

"Okay so the first thing is that I think the bar should go."

"Oh, I agree with that. This should be a family place not another place to get drunk."

"That was my thoughts too. I want to put in a complete snack bar that has affordable food for all. In the corner I could put a couple of arcade games. What do you think?"

"It all sounds good so far."

Sabrina then led Amanda to the skate rental area.

"I want to make this place so it is a fun spot for anyone to come so I am going to ask people to put a deposit down on their skates but if they return them in the same condition they rented them, they get their deposit back."

"That's a wonderful idea Sabrina."

"As for the rink, I'm going to redo the whole thing. I want one of those disco balls in the middle with lots of flashing lights. I thought we could give lessons a few times a week for a minimum fee so anyone can learn to skate. Then I want to hold fun competitions among different age groups where people can come to compete or just watch and the winners would go home with a trophy or ribbon. It will just cost the entry fee into the rink."

"Wow, Sabrina, you have really thought of everything. It looks like you are all set."

"Not quite Amanda. I want you to come be my manager."

"Manager? Oh no, I couldn't do that."

"Why not."

"Well I already have a job."

"This one would be full time though. I would pay you well Amanda and you could take off whatever time you need for the boys. Please say you will think about it."

At that moment, the front entry door opened and a familiar face walked in. Amanda found herself staring into his eyes as he walked to them.

"Lee, what are you doing here?"

"I suppose you wouldn't believe I was in the neighborhood, huh?"

"Only if you believe I take care of snakes in my spare time." Amanda said with a smile.

"What?" Lee and Sabrina asked with confused expressions on their faces.

"It was one of the pet sitting jobs I told my mother. I can't believe I said it; I was running out of animals to tell her I was babysitting and snakes just came out of my mouth before I could stop it. So far I think she actually believes it."

"You didn't?" Lee asked and then began laughing. The other two joined in for a few minutes and then finally they all were out of breath and had to stop.

"So Lee, what are you doing here?"

"Oh Yeah, right, well Billy asked me to stop in and see how things were going."

"Billy did that? What a great man he is." Sabrina said with sincerity. "Do you want the tour?"

"That would be good unless the two of you were in the middle of something."

"No, it can wait." Sabrina answered and then hooked her arm into Lee's while looking back at Amanda and winking. She took him to the bar area first and informed him of her plan. "I actually think that is a smart move." Lee confessed. "You do?" Amanda and Sabrina echoed.

"Yes, leaving it as a bar could bring in the wrong crowds. Plus this way you don't need to worry about a liquor license or all those headaches." After that, Sabrina proudly showed Lee the rest of the place and her ideas and he nodded his head in agreement with all of it.

As they came back to the front, Sabrina said "There is only one small problem."

"What's that?" Lee asked.

"I need a really smart person to help manage the place. You know; someone who is mature, smart, organized and used to working with kids. Do you know anyone that fits that Lee?"

Lee thought for a moment and said "No, no I really can't think of anyone. I can ask Billy if his wife knows someone though."

Sabrina looked at Lee with her mouth open in a shocked look and then looked quickly at Amanda who seemed to be busy looking at something across the room and then she slightly smiled and said "Okay, thanks. Amanda is going to help me interview the girls from Fedorov's house and offer some of them a job."

"Well that's great. Look, I should probably get going. I will let Billy know he made the right choice." Lee said as he awkwardly shook her hand. "Good luck and please let me know if there is anything the agency or I can do to help."

"Thanks Lee, I appreciate that." Sabrina said. Lee nodded to Amanda and then he was gone.

As soon as he was out of earshot, Sabrina began giggling.

"What are you laughing about?" Amanda asked.

"You two. Why didn't you tell me that you two were an item? I wouldn't have tried to convince you to come here."

"We are not an item! What are you talking about? You must have misunderstood something." Amanda said in a determined voice.

"Oh no, I'm pretty sure I read all those signs perfectly. So you two aren't a couple? Really? Well Amanda, what are you waiting for?"

"Sabrina, I have a boyfriend and his name is Dean. He works for the weather bureau and …"

"Ditch him."

"WHAT? I'm not going to ditch him. Why would you say that when you don't even know him?" Amanda asked in a voice that didn't sound that convincing at all.

"Oh Amanda, I'm sure he doesn't look at you the way Lee was just looking at you."

"Oh really? And how was he looking at me? Never mind. I think you have read a few too many of those romance novels. My mom loves them too."

"I have never read a romance novel in my life Amanda nor do I even read often."

"Well you should start then because reading is good for you." Amanda said as she tried to change the subject. This one was getting a little more than she planned to talk about to someone she was just getting to know. Sabrina was having none of it though.

"So he hasn't taken you out on a date yet? Just all business?"

"That is all it is Sabrina. Now can we please talk about something else?"

"Oh, okay since you aren't ready to talk about it but promise me that you will come here on your first date."

"Look Sabrina, even if I was interested in Lee; Which I AM NOT; we come from 2 different worlds, 2 different ways of life and I'm not at all the kind of woman he normally dates."

"And I'm sure he is nothing like your boyfriend Dean either, right?"

"Well, yeah, that's true. They are complete opposites."

Sabrina began giggling again and said "Let me know when things start changing for the two of you. I can't wait to smile and say I saw the attraction before you did."

"Oh Sabrina. There is no attraction. It is all in your head. I like Lee as a friend but that is all there is to it. Well it is getting late and I should get home. Thanks for showing me your new place. I can't wait to see what you do to it."

"Don't go away mad Amanda." 

"Oh, I'm not mad. I really do have to go. Let's forget this conversation ever happened, okay?" Amanda said as her eyes pleaded with her to drop it.

"Sure, we can do that." Sabrina said though she knew it would come back up again one day.

The two ladies hugged and promised to stay in touch and Amanda left for the night. If she had looked back, she would have seen that Sabrina was grinning she watched her go.

 **TBC**


	45. Chapter 45 - The Drop In

**Chapter 45 – The Drop In**

What the hell was he thinking? Well apparently he wasn't. The day had started out fine. Lee had spent Friday with his friends at Birchwood since he was long overdue for his visit. As usual they teased him about being so busy the he had forgotten all about all of them. Then they had convinced him to stay for lunch and spent a lot of time trying to find out what he had been up to at the agency. After lunch, Lee realized that Rupert had been absent. When he asked, they told him that he wasn't feeling well and was in his bed. Lee had gone to check on him and found that he could barely talk because he had a cold.

"Go away Lee. I think they put something in the food to make me sick. It is best that you don't stay and eat anything. I will see you another time."

"Okay Rupert" Lee had said with a grin as he closed the door behind him.

The ladies had not been expecting him that day so the best they could do was to load him up with homemade cookies that they had made the day before for local Girl Scout Troup that came to visit. The Troop Leader wouldn't allow the girls to take any home for fear their parents would kill her for all the sugar so there were still several dozen cookies waiting for a new home. As Lee said his goodbyes, he realized that he might as well bring them to the agency and let the others share them. It would give him an excuse to stop in anyway. He used to enjoy days off so much more than he did lately.

After he had handed the cookies all out to all the different departments, he had popped into Billy's office.

"Lee, I thought I told you to take the day off."

"Oh I am. I just came with cookies from Birchwood."

"Homemade?"

"Yeah, there are some in the cafeteria if you want them." Lee answered.

"Thanks, just don't tell my wife on me."

"I won't say a word. So Amanda told me about what you did for Sabrina. Leave it to you Billy to do something nice and not tell anyone."

"Well a man has to keep his reputation Lee. Do you think she will be able to handle such a huge undertaking?"

"I don't know. She seems to have a good head on her shoulders and now that she is making amends with her parents, I'm sure they can help her."

"And Amanda too." Billy suggested.

"Amanda? Oh yeah, Amanda. She's meeting her there tomorrow night."

"Oh?"

Lee swiped his hand through his hair and said "Yeah, you know Billy; I was thinking; maybe I should stop by and see if she needs any help. I mean you are right that this is an awful lot for a young woman to handle. Maybe I can help her get started."

"Do you think you should butt in?" Billy had asked.

"I'm not really butting in. I'm just making sure she doesn't have any questions. I'll tell her that you suggested it so she thinks you are helping her from the sidelines."

"Oh Lee, that is very nice of you. Well yes, I see that it is important that you stop by." Billy suggested.

"Thanks Billy. I guess I'll get going. I'm beat. I think I'm going to turn in early."

"Okay Lee. I'll talk to you later." Lee was so busy in his own thoughts that he hadn't seen the beginning of a smile on Billy's face as he left his office.

As he thought back on that moment, he realized that he had had the rest of the afternoon and all day Saturday to talk himself out of barging in on Sabrina and Amanda but it never occurred to him to do so. It had been his case after all and so it was his job to make sure that Sabrina was all set.

He wasn't exactly sure what time Sabrina and Amanda were meeting so he waited until nearly 9pm before he arrived at the rink. He had expected them to be skating so he was surprised when he walked through the door and locked eyes with Amanda. That was the moment he knew he was in trouble. He shouldn't be there. He had joked about driving them and she had made it clear that he wasn't needed. Yet here he was anyway. Why was it so important for him to be there? He couldn't remember.

As he walked toward them, Amanda asked him why he was there. In true Lee style, he tried to make a joke of the situation and asked if she would believe he was in the neighborhood. That seemed to break the tension and Amanda threw out a story about telling her mom that she was taking care of snakes. They all had a good laugh and then Lee quickly told them both that Billy had wanted him to stop in and make sure Sabrina was all set. She was so pleased that Billy had cared that much that Lee couldn't help but feel a little guilty for using that as his reason. In the end, Sabrina insisted on showing him around and telling him what her plans were for the place. The kid seemed to have put a lot of thought into things and really had some great ideas for the place. She didn't seem to need any of his help but he was sure that Amanda's help would be appreciated.

As they finished the tour, Lee realized that things seemed to be getting awkward so he shook Sabrina's hand like she was a business partner or something and then with an unspoken nod to Amanda; he headed out to his car.

As he drove away, he realized that he wasn't ready to go home so he took the long way around. His mind replayed the last moments with the two ladies and wondered why Sabrina was asking him for suggestions on who her manager should be. Surely she didn't expect that Judy would be interested. Then suddenly it started to sink in and he realized that Sabrina was asking him to name Amanda. How did he not see that before? Would Amanda want the job? He had to admit that she would likely be good at it but as much as he hated to admit it, she was pretty good at her job with him. She was just a civilian though and working for Sabrina would make more sense. It would also keep her out of harm's way which wouldn't be a bad thing. He sure wouldn't have to be worrying about her all the time. Yes, the best thing that Amanda King could do was to agree to go to work for Sabrina. After all, Lee didn't need a partner. He had done without one before and he could do without one now. He hoped that since he hadn't suggested Amanda that she didn't think he didn't want her to take the job. Maybe he should go back and talk to them. No, that would be even more awkward. He should just stay out of it.

He had arrived back at his apartment and gone upstairs. It was during this time that he was questioning what he had been thinking. He shouldn't have busted in on them at the rink. He had no real reason to be there yet he found that he just had to be a part of it all. Now he found himself wondering if Amanda would leave the agency.

"She should leave the agency. I have told her that many times." Lee said to himself in the mirror. Why did the thought of her leaving seem to leave him with emotions he couldn't explain? Lee stripped down and pulled the covers back on his bed so he could sit down. He finally laid down and then found himself lying on his back while staring at the ceiling.

He was still in this same position several hours later as his mind replayed the many times they had worked together. He was just starting to get her trained to be of some help to him. Billy had agreed to let her do more courses in the agency and she had picked up quickly on some of the basics. If she left, Billy would force a new partner on him and he would have to start all over. Maybe it would be a good idea to try to convince her to stay. Not that he really needed her but just for convenience sake. He would have to stop by her house tomorrow and see what she had decided. He would support her decision either way but he had to know what she had decided.

Yes, that was what he would do. He was glad he thought it all out. It finally allowed him to fall asleep too.

 **TBC**


	46. Chapter 46 - Oh Amanda!

**Chapter 46 – Oh Amanda**

After leaving Sabrina's, Amanda had driven home without much more thought to Sabrina trying to play matchmaker. It wasn't the first time someone seemed to want her and Lee together and likely it wouldn't be the last but the idea was just ridiculous. Imagine her and Lee together? The chances of that were as believable as Dean leaving his car out in the next big rain storm. Dean! Oh man, she still hadn't called Dean. She would have to do that tomorrow when she had time. Maybe she would see if he wanted to come over for dinner too. For now though, she just wanted to go home, take a shower and head for bed.

She parked the car in the driveway and headed inside. Everyone had already gone to bed so she made sure the kitchen was clean and then went upstairs and peeped in on the boys. They were both sound asleep. She smiled as she closed their door and then proceeded to her shower. Tomorrow she could relax. It would be nice to relax.

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"What in the world did I do with that Dutch Oven?" Dotty asked herself out loud. She had searched the whole kitchen and couldn't find it. She had decided that it might be nice to make some homemade chili for dinner but now she couldn't find the Dutch Oven that she preferred making it in. What could she have done with it?

"Think Dotty, think. When did you use it last?" Dotty asked as she stood in the middle of the kitchen trying to figure it out. If Amanda was up, maybe she would know but she had been out late so she was sleeping in. Phillip came down the stairs and asked "What's the matter Grandma?"

"I wanted to make us Chili for dinner but I can't remember what I did with the Dutch Oven."

"Oh, well you didn't do anything with it."

"What does that mean?"

"Sorry Grandma, I took it out to the garage a few weeks ago to transport my hot wheels in. I couldn't find anything to carry them and the Dutch Oven was sitting there so it was the perfect size. I forgot to bring it back in afterward. Do you want me to go get it?"

"No Sweetie, that's okay. I'll go get it. Thank you for saving your Grandmother from worrying any longer that she was old and senile since I couldn't remember what I did with it." Dotty said as she kissed her Grandson's forehead.

"Sure Grandma. Anytime. Can I go to Henry's house for a few hours? His birthday was last week and he got some really cool toys that he wanted to show to me."

"Yes, but be back by 10am. I'm leaving to go with the auxiliary ladies on our monthly trip to the Nursing home to bring cheer to the residents and I want you home before I leave. Okay?"

"Yes Grandma! Thanks" Phillip exclaimed as he took off out the back door.

Dotty put on her shoes and went out to the garage. She should have asked Phillip where he put it but thankfully it didn't take long for her to spot it. As she started to make her way back across the garage, she noticed that one of the boy's sleeping bag was rolled up and lying in the corner. She couldn't help but be puzzled by that since it was too cold right now for camping so the last she knew all the sleeping bags were all put away on the top shelf. Her curiosity got the better of her and she walked over to take a closer look. There didn't seem to be any reason for concern so she again started to head for the house. As she was getting close to the garage door, she noticed what appeared to be a bag stuffed in the corner. It was very odd for her daughter to leave anything hanging around so Dotty's curiosity once again got the best of her and she reached over and pulled out the bag wondering what it was. Inside she found a woman's red wig along with a beautiful red party dress that she had never seen Amanda wear before. There was also a suit jacket, pants, tie, and dress shoes. She stood staring at all of it for a moment wondering where they had come from and why they were in a bag out in the garage but then she looked back at the sleeping bag and smiled. Perhaps her daughter wasn't quite telling her the truth. Dotty had wondered why Dean hadn't called lately. She was pretty sure that she just figured it out. She quickly put the things back inside the bag and hid it back in the corner. This would be her little secret. Amanda didn't need to know that Dotty knew all about her entertaining Dean in the garage. She just had no idea that Dean liked red heads. He seemed more the blonde type to her.

Without another thought, Dotty walked outside and closed the garage door behind her. Amanda's secret would be safe with her.

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Phillip arrived home right at 10am. By this time, Amanda had gotten up and so had Jamie and they had both had a bowl of cereal. Dotty reminded Amanda that she would be gone for several hours.

"What do you have planned for the day dear?" Dotty asked.

"Oh, not much. I'm going to relax. I think I'll clean up the garage a little bit but otherwise I just might soak in the tub with a nice book."

"Oh? Is Dean coming over today?" Dotty asked as she tried to hide her smile.

"I don't know yet. I thought I would call him later and ask him."

"You do that Darling. I have to go." Dotty said as a car outside beeped its horn for her.

Dotty kissed her daughter on the cheek and headed off on her way.

Amanda watched her go and wondered what that was all about. She shrugged and headed for the garage. She knew that she hadn't cleaned up after Lee had stayed out there and she had also hidden the bag of her disguise from the other night there so her Mother wouldn't accidentally find it in her room. She needed to get rid of it. She wondered if Lee could take it and use it at the agency for an undercover job.

She had just stepped inside the garage when she heard "Hello!"

She jumped and turned around to find herself staring at Lee.

"What are you doing here?" She asked.

"I saw your Mother leave with her friend so I figured it was safe. I wanted to come by and apologize for butting in last night."

"Oh that's okay. I was just surprised to see you there."

"Yeah, well I had stopped by the agency on Friday. Billy and I got to talking about making sure Sabrina got the support she needed and well at the time it seemed like a good idea."

"She's something else isn't she?" Amanda asked while changing the subject since she could tell that Lee still felt awkward from the night before.

"Yeah, something else. It sounds like she is really passionate about this rink and that will get her far. Of course if you decided to take the job as her manager, the place would be a complete success!"

Amanda looked at him with a disappointed look. "Do you want me to take the job?"

"Do you want to take the job?"

"I asked you first. I thought you were done with trying to get rid of me?"

"I'm not trying to get rid of you; I just think that if you think it is a good job opportunity then you shouldn't pass it up."

"Well it is a good job opportunity."

"Oh" Said Lee with a quieter voice. "So you decided to take the job."

"No, actually I turned the job down."

"Oh?" Said Lee with more confidence in his voice. "Really? Why did you decide to turn it down?"

"I don't know. I just feel like I would let the agency down after all Mr. Melorse has done for me."

"Amanda, you know Billy would understand."

"So you are telling me to take the job?"

"I didn't say that."

"So you don't want me to take the job?"

"Oh Amanda, do whatever you want to do."

"Okay" Amanda said with a smile. "I told Sabrina I would help in any other way I could though. She's a smart young lady and she is going to do awesome."

"I believe she will too. It is good that she has something new to focus on so she can put Fedorov behind her."

"I agree. Lee? What happened to Fedorov?"

"Fedorov is already on a plane heading home."

"So he gets to leave with no punishment. He got to do all those horrible things and just walk away?"

"Well not exactly. See before we let him go, we used some of our own intelligence information to leak back to the Russians and make it seem like we got the information from Fedorov. I'm pretty sure he will have a welcoming party when his plane arrives but not a very friendly one and likely a 2x2 jail cell."

"Oh wow. That seems mean being dishonest but he does deserve it."

"Yes he does Amanda. It should keep him busy too so he doesn't try to slip back into the US anytime soon."

While Lee had been filling her in, Amanda had pulled the bag from the corner of the garage and handed it to Lee. "Can the agency use these things?" She asked him.

"Oh I had forgotten about all of this." Lee said as he pulled out the red wig and looked at it. He couldn't help but smile at the memory of how this wig had helped the whole case.

As Amanda watched him smile, she couldn't help but say "You know Lee, I was thinking about how much you and Fedorov had in common."

"How so?" asked a disgusted Lee.

"Well I couldn't help but notice that you both like young girls and you both like redheads." Amanda said with a grin.

"OH Amanda!" Lee groaned. Amanda's giggle was contagious enough that Lee couldn't help but smile too. It was good that she had decided to stay with the agency. It had been a long time since he had found so much to smile about.

And the story continues with Lost and Found.

 **A/N: Hello all. Well this story took way too long. I swore I wouldn't be like other writers and make you wait for more than a few days to read my stories and this time, it was more than 3 months. I'm sorry. My life definitely threw me some curveballs the past few months and it affected many things in my day to day activities. I think in the end, this story came out much better than it was originally since I rewrote and added so many different elements and characters to it. It is a bit darker than I had planned but I did my best to always keep it in canon and to as always keep the characters true to how they were at this point in the aired episodes. I had planned to post the finale to the story as my gift to my loyal readers on Christmas night but sadly someone ruined that for me with a review that made me wonder if I shouldn't have written a story while my life was still upside down. Thankfully I have a wonderful support system who assured me that my story was spot on and so I went ahead and finished it. Then when I went to post it last night, FF wouldn't allow any files to be uploaded so I had to wait until tonight.**

 **I will say that I will continue to write my stories the way I have been. I am proud of them and each of them has a special place in my heart and if people don't like them, they don't have to read them. However that being said, I am going to take what hopefully will be a small break from the next one to go back to the first one. There is a huge mistake in that one that no one has ever mentioned. It bugs me though and in order to fix it, I have to rewrite a part of it. So, since when I wrote the first couple of these, I wasn't really sure what I had in mind for them, they were not written in the same fashion that the current ones are so I am going to rewrite the first one. Eventually I will rewrite the second one too but it is safe for now. So if you have spare time and want to read the original the way it is, please do so. I will be saving the new version on top once it is COMPLETELY written. I think that this small break will help me refocus. I already have a good idea what the next "in between" adventure will be and this will give me some time to think about it so I can make it as much fun to read as my others are.**

 **Thanks again to those who love my stories and especially those who tell me they do. I put a lot of time into writing them but I do it because I love doing it and hope they entertain those who truly loved the show the way it was written..not the way they wish it was written.**

 **Merry Belated Christmas and please stay safe in the New Year. Let's hope 2018 pushes all the bad of 2017 away and this ends up being an awesome year!**


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